


Day After Day

by disgustedqueen



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Extremely self indulgent sorry, M/M, Single dad matt holt, adopting siblings, child keith, toddler katie holt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 16:20:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 20,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11165532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disgustedqueen/pseuds/disgustedqueen
Summary: Raising a toddler on your own is hard enough, let alone when you're dealing with the recent death of your parents and jabs from every side proclaiming you're not trying hard enough as a single parent.





	1. Chapter 1

Matt has known for several weeks now that Allura was going to be gone for a month while she went to visit her uncle out of country. She’d had an in-depth discussion with each and every parent, and expressed any concerns she had. 

Matt had considered finding a babysitter for the month that Allura was gone, since Katie already raised enough hell with her favorite caregiver, he couldn't imagine how she would act with a substitute. As it stood, however, the state wouldn't pay for anything more than a licensed daycare and he couldn't afford to shell out any more money that what he already was as a single parent. 

He sighed as he parked the car outside the daycare. He hoped Allura had filled the substitute in and was prepared for Katie. 

He scooped Katie from her carseat and attempted to pull the pacifier from her mouth one last time before they headed in. She clamped her teeth tightly around it, so he gave up quickly and instead grabbed her diaper bag and pulled it over his shoulder. “You’re going to be good today while Matt is gone, right?” He asked her. 

“Yeah,” She said, pulling the pacifier out of her mouth. She still had a death grip on it, so he couldn't snag it and hide it. 

“I'll only be gone a little bit, I have a two lectures to give and then we can go to the store. And if you're good today we can buy more apple juice.” He was lying, they were going to buy more apple juice regardless because he didn't want to deal with the meltdown that would ensue in the morning. 

“Okay, I love you Matt,” Katie said, kissing his cheek. It always broke his heart to drop her off, especially since she started talking so much more. 

Matt hadn't gotten a chance to meet Allura’s substitute beforehand, so he was surprised to find a young man waiting in the room. Most of the staff was female, and he had all but assumed that they only hired women. “Good morning,” He said, as he walked in. He placed Katie’s diaper bag on the counter and then placed Katie down on the floor. She still clung to his legs. “I'll be picking Katie up earlier than normal, probably about three thirty.” 

“Alright,” The man made a note of it on a sheet, presumably for the afternoon staff. Matt couldn't help but notice the abnormal white tuft of hair that fell between his eyes. Katie must have noticed it as well, because she peeked out between Matt’s legs to observe the substitute. “Oh, is this Katie? I've heard so much about you from Allura. I'm Shiro.” 

Matt hesitated to warn Shiro about Katie, but he managed to coax her away from Matt and into his arms without Katie bursting into tears or biting the caregiver. “How are you this morning, Katie? Have you had breakfast yet?” 

“No,” Katie said. And the reason they hadn't had breakfast yet was the fact that they had a jar of peanut butter and half a gallon of milk at the apartment. 

“Well that's okay. Do you like muffins and oranges? That's what we're having for breakfast here.” 

Matt felt awkward still standing there, when Shiro obviously had the Katie situation under control, and so he walked out and prepared for a long day of teaching. 

At exactly three-thirty-four, Matt walks back into the daycare. He feels bad because he has a huge load of tests he’ll be grading rather than spending time with her. 

The first thing he notices when he walks in is that there's no high pitched screeching that he's grown accustomed to on Mondays. Usually as soon as it hits three thirty, Katie would scream and cry into the safe spot they have set up until he finally walked in. 

Instead the room is blissfully quiet, and when he pokes his head in he finds every toddler sitting at the table with a simple puzzle in front of them. He counts heads and finds Katie is absent from the table.

On the floor, spread out, Katie has a large fifty piece puzzle she's putting together. Her little face is scrunched up in concentration, and Shiro has obviously done her hair, because her fuzzy strawberry-blonde hair is pulled up into a ponytail. 

Shiro is busy helping some of the other toddlers with their puzzles, so he doesn't notice when Matt slips in and bend down next to Katie. “Hey, pigeon, ready to go home?”

Katie scrambles up quickly, almost tripping over her dress. “Matt!”

“Ah, pick up your puzzle and then we’re gonna go get some groceries.” He scoops a couple of pieces up and puts them away. Katie quickly follows suit. When they finish, he puts the lid on and hands it to Shiro. 

“How was her day?” He asked, and he pulls her up into his arms, letting her settle against his shoulder. 

“She was good most of the day,” Shiro said, but he looked distracted, like he was bursting to tell him something. “She's really quite smart, she was reading by herself, and doing that big puzzle without any help.”

Matt knew Katie was all but a child genius. She could unlock baby gates and open the fridge before she could walk. She could talk full sentences before anyone else in the previous daycare room. 

“I know.” He said. “How was she doing with potty training?” 

“She went a bit,” Shiro said, and handed him the charted sheet. Katie had tried a few times to go, but for the most part refused to go. Once after nap she had successfully made it to the potty, but every other time was a wet pull up. 

He sighed. “I'm sorry, I have no idea what I'm doing with potty training her… we try at home too but she's very defiant about it.”

“Uhm,” Shiro said after a minute. “A lot of people use a long weekend to get children potty trained, three or four consecutive days at home, usually.” 

“I'll keep that in mind, thank you.” Matt smiled cheerfully, but knew he couldn't possibly afford to take any days off to fulfill that. “Well, we’ll see you tomorrow morning. Say goodbye, Katie.”

Katie waved to Shiro, and Matt picked up her diaper bag as well. As soon as she saw it, she rooted around in it to find her pacifier and stick it in her mouth. 

He sighed, but just shook his head and signed her out from the center, before loading her up into the car. “Ready to go get some food?” He asked her, buckling the straps. 

“Apple juice,” She replied, and he added it to the grocery list as well, though he doubted Katie would let him leave without it. 

Grocery trips weren't bad with Katie. While some children cried and begged through the stores, she quietly sat in the cart and clutched the shopping list between her chubby hands. She liked naming the items as he placed them in the cart, but knew better than to beg. 

“apples, bread,” He hummed and glared at the short list to get them through the next week, before placing two boxes of cereal into the cart. Next was the cold section, and he tossed in cheese sticks, yogurt and a small carton of eggs. 

“Juice, juice!” Katie said, when they strolled down the drinks aisle. He pulled one of the shelf and placed it in the cart before continuing. He knew they were tight on money this week, since he didn't get paid until next Tuesday, but they couldn't wait any longer to shop. He sighed and placed a few canned soups, boxes of macaroni, and a box of granola bars into the cart. 

He lived mainly on bowls of cereal and protein bars, but he didn't want Katie growing up with the same bad eating habits he had, so he tried to buy a variety of items that she would enjoyed so she wouldn't grow up with the same poor nutrition that he did. 

When they passed by the freezer section he had the sudden inclination to have ice cream. “What do you think Katie? Do you want some ice cream with Matt?” 

“Yes!” She said, and kicked her feet out. “Chocolate, chocolate!”

He smiled and glanced at the prices. He grabbed an off brand and put it inside the cart as well, and then walked them over to check out.   
While the loaded up the conveyor belt, a middle aged woman stepped in line behind him, talking loudly on her phone. He managed to tune her out, but Katie seemed mesmerized by her loudly colored shirt and long earrings. 

The cashier made little small talk, and he methodically loaded the bags back into the cart while Katie kicked her feet and watched him move around. 

“Your total for today is sixty-seven and forty three cents,” The cashier said, smiling. He fished his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out his food stamps card.

“You know, if you're going to use food stamps, maybe you should actually buy healthy food,” The woman in line behind him suddenly said, and his cheeks bloomed with heat. 

“I, uh,” He swiped the card quickly, trying to focus on anything but the woman behind him, who was holding a basket of nothing but organic fruits and vegetables. 

“Or better yet, if you're going to rely on our taxes to pay for you, don't fucking reproduce, because I sure as hell don't want to pay for your shitty kid.”

Matt pocketed his card and wallet and didn't wait for the receipt, just simply walked away. He didn't like using food stamps in the first place, but it was worse when people commented on it. He tried to buy good food for Katie, but he felt entitled to spend it on something sugary and tasty for once without getting burned at the stake. 

“I love you, Matt,” Katie suddenly said, and shoved her face against his chest. He patted her head. 

“I love you, too Katie. Let's go home, huh?” 

“Yeah, me wanna watch mermaid!” Katie said. “Does Matt have work?” 

“Yeah, I have to grade tests,” He explained. “But you can turn your movie on and I'll sit with you.”

He was embarrassed that she knew how to turn the dvd player and tv on and turn on her movies, but it was also convenient too, especially when he was swamped with work. He piled the groceries into the car, hooked Katie in and then climbed behind the wheel. 

“Is Shiro going to be there tomorrow?” Katie asked, as he traversed through the parking lot. 

“Who?” He asked. “Oh, at the daycare? He's going to be there until Allura comes back home.”

“Okay.” She smiled and kicked his seat. “Shiro is pretty.”

“Yeah,” He replied absently. His brain was still stuck on the angry woman from earlier, and he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel with a frown. He bought most of their food, usually the food stamps covered one of the few grocery trips they had to do a month.

He wasn't even sure why he was letting it bother him so much, especially considering it wasn't like he could do anything about it. 

At the apartment, Katie immediately tottered over to the t.v. and turned on her movie while he took care of groceries. After, he sat at their low table and spread out his paperwork. Katie sat in his lap and munched on an apple while he read test after test, doing his best to tune out the movie and Katie rhythmetically slamming her head back against his chest. 

“Katie, don't you think it's time for bed?” He asked, after noticing the time on his phone. The credits were rolling on the little mermaid, but Katie was still shifting around in his lap and messing with his papers. 

“No,” Katie said. He picked her up anyways. 

“Let's change your pull-up and brush our teeth,” He suggested. They went through their nightly routine and he put a nightgown on her and placed her in the trundle bed, placing a blanket over her. 

“Music,” She said sleepily, and finally closed her eyes when he turned the CD player onto her lullabies. While she slept he got their clothing around for the morning, and then went into the bathroom to take a shower. He never had time in the mornings with, so he relied on a nightly routine. 

When he finally was done he threw himself on the bed and curled up under the blankets, listening to Katie snore softly. 

Tomorrow was another day.


	2. Chapter 2

Friday when he gets to work he finds a pile of tests on his tiny desk and even more homework to grade. He sighs and set his bag down on the floor and collapses into the chair. 

 

Haggar was very rarely in to teach her own class, so most of the time Matt took care of lecturing, grading, and counseling students, all for the pay of a teacher assistant. The days that Haggar did come in to actually teach her class, he spent most of it in the office, catching up on a flurry of tests and homework that surely needed graded. 

 

His desk was very minimal. Aside from the stacks of papers and the cup of pens, his desk consisted of one picture of him holding a just-born Katie. Sticky-notes from Haggar littered his laptop and lamp, and he peeled one off. 

 

He was hoping to pick Katie up at four. Haggar was supposed to come in to instruct, as she did most Fridays. Her classes ran late on Fridays and if she didn't turn up he wouldn't make it in time to get Katie before the center closed. 

 

So most Fridays he got to sit at his desk, grade tests and do any other busy work that Haggar threw at him, and by three forty five he could leave and pick up Katie and have a relaxing weekend going to the park or sitting at home. 

 

By ten, when the first students start shuffling in, waving at him through his little window, he begins to worry that Haggar forgot about her Friday morning class, and it was a little late to cancel it now that several students had already shown up.

 

Sighing, he reached for the phone and punched in Haggar’s cell number, and listened for a straight minute to it ring before he slammed it down and began pulling materials to start the class. 

 

The first class was the equivalent of beginners physics. It was easy enough for him to teach. It was going to be the afternoon class of advanced astronomy, which he had to drop out before he could complete that class, that would be difficult to teach. 

 

Here's the thing Matt likes about himself, he's rather smart. He was home schooled and had his high school diploma by sixteen and was in college the following fall. He had a full ride at a prestigious academy to become a communications officer through Galaxy Garrison. He's extremely smart, just trapped by horrendous circumstances. 

 

Katie had been born halfway through the year he turned seventeen, he remembered holding her at the hospital and finding it so strange how small and young she was compared to him. 

 

He sighed as he started the lecture. There was no use moping about it any longer, what was done was done, and he threw away thousands of dollars worth of a scholarship to raise Katie.

 

After the physics class, he sat down at Haggar’s desk and restarted grading his papers. He kept glancing at the clock, worrying that she wouldn't show up for the next class either. If she didn't he’d have to call the daycare center and arrange for someone else to pick her up. Or let them know he'd be at least twenty minutes late.

 

He ends up calling the center thirteen minutes before the next class. Shiro answers with a cheerful demeanor. 

 

“Hi Shiro, it's Matt Holt,” He pauses when he hears an unexpected screech in the background. Shiro must quiet them or move to another room because the sound dies quickly. “I won't be able to pick up Katie until after closing tonight, I, uh, I don't have anyone else that could pick her up.”

 

“Her mom can't pick her up?” Shiro asks, in the nicest voice ever. It's obvious no one has filled him in on their circumstances. 

 

“No,” Matt replies. He takes a deep breath. “I'm Katie’s brother. I don't have any friends or remaining family who could pick her up tonight.”

 

There's a long pause, and Matt wonders if he accidentally embarrassed Shiro. 

 

“We’ll figure something out for her, don't worry, Matt.” The line clicks dead, and Matt throws his phone onto the other chair in the room and shuffles everything together for the next class.

 

Advanced Astronomy is harder to learn than to teach, he quickly realizes. Haggar has slides and quizzes and worksheets leftover from the year before that he utilized. Still the class ends at six forty-five, fifteen minutes after Katie’s daycare center has closed. It would take another fifteen minutes to drive over. 

 

He feels dejected. He's done his best so far to raise Katie single handedly without many issues. He wonders if he should find a friend that would ever be able to pick Katie up on Fridays in case of potential disaster. 

 

Matt quickly grabs his things, locks up the classroom and starts to exit the building. He's stopped however when he sees two familiar people sitting on the bench outside.

 

“Matt!” Katie screeches, and runs to him, throwing her arms around his waist. Her hair is done in two twin dutch braids, and they fall against her chest when she bounces.

 

Shiro is still sitting on the bench. He has the diaper bag and a fast food bag sitting by him. 

 

“After I got out of work I took her to go get some food. So, sorry, but she had chicken nuggets and French fries from McDonald’s,” Shiro explained. 

 

Matt shrugged, but ruffled his hair awkwardly. “Uh, thank you. Really.” He picks the diaper bag up, and then reaches for Katie. She tucks her head right against his neck. 

 

“Hey, Matt, you know if you ever need anything you can rely on other people, right?” 

 

He hesitates to answer. “Yeah, ‘course. See you Monday, Shiro.” 

 

Early the next morning, after Matt has eaten his cold cereal, and Katie has watched her morning cartoons, he decided that they should do something with the day. Now that the weather is turning nicer, he feels bad letting Katie stay inside and watch cartoons while he catches up on chores. 

 

He decided he can do a few chores, then they can go get lunch and go to the park. Then when Katie took her afternoon nap, he could finish his other chores and have a relaxing evening. He does breakfast dishes and the few cups they had from the night before, and then sits by Katie.

 

“Katie, do you want to go to the park?” He asked. 

 

“Yes, yes!”

 

“Okay, Matt is gonna start some laundry first. Can you go change into a clean outfit?”

 

“Yup!” Katie drops her blanket and runs off to their room. He hears the soft plops as her pajamas fall into the laundry basket, and then her groaning as she pulls a shirt over her head. 

 

“No dress today?” He asks, tugging it over her. It's one of the oldest, rattiest shirts she owns, that he's not sure if it's green my manufacturer or by wear. 

 

Following the green shirt, Katie pulls on burnt orange capris. “Dresses are for school,” She insists. 

 

“Can we dress a little nicer?” He asks, sorting through her drawers. 

 

It takes him a few minutes but he eventually coaxed her into a mint green tank top and black and white polka dot shorts. She still insists on wearing her light up cinderella shoes. She follows him with an empty laundry basket and helps him start a load and pull out the towels from the dryer. 

 

“We’ll fold it when we get home, okay?” He said. He slipped on his shoes and pulled on a hoodie over his faded galaxy garrison shirt. “Where do you want to go for lunch?”

 

“French fries!” She exclaims, tugging on his hand. 

 

“You had those last night with Shiro, don't you want something else?” Even if they didn't have a lot of money, he thought they deserved something nice every once and awhile. 

 

Katie thought about what she wanted while they rode the elevator, and it wasn't until he had her hooked into her carseat she decided. “I want Bagels!”

 

“The breakfast ones?” He asked. Somewhat near the park was a cute bakery store that also had speciality ones with breakfast or pizza options. He remembered he used to go there all the time with their mom and dad, and they even took Katie a few times before they passed away.

He can't remember if he's ever taken Katie there before, aside from maybe once or twice when they were celebrating - even if Katie didn't know what they were celebrating. 

 

Katie only ends up eating three bites of her small pizza bagel he buys for her. She quickly gets distracted by the park and he can only wipe her face off with a napkin before she eludes his grasp and runs towards the playset. He still sits at the table and picks at the blueberry cream cheese bagel he got while she plays contently.

 

She's waving to him from on top of the slide when someone sits down next to him. “Hey, Matt.”

 

He feels his face flush. Shiro. He feels like he's been caught in some elaborate lie, even if the two bagels and a trip to the park costs a grand total of five dollars. 

 

“I'm good. What are you doing here?” He's asking as if it isn't a public area. But still it's weird that Shiro would be at a park for children. 

 

Shiro points over to the swings. Holding on is a elementary aged child with a mop of unruly hair pinned back with a few clips. “That's Keith, he's my nephew but I have custody of him.” 

 

“Oh.” Matt feels his cheeks burn again. He hadn't thought that Shiro was in a similar case as him and took care of young child. “I guess I hadn't realized-”

 

“It's understandable, I've only had him for a little less than a year,” Shiro explained. Matt was sure there was more to the story, but he didn't want to pry. He certainly didn't want Shiro asking in depth questions about his and Katie’s life either. 

 

They fell into a silence for a minute, Matt hyperfocused on Katie walking across a high balance beam. 

 

“Do you see that boy that Keith is playing with?” Shiro asked, gesturing in Keith's general direction. It was a tall young boy with dark brown hair spiked with sweat from playing. “Keith never stops talking about him.” 

 

“In a good way or a bad way?”

 

Shiro hummed as a thoughtful response. “Sometimes good, sometimes bad.” 

 

Well that was better than how Katie blamed every bad thing that happened on the bully in her class, Lily. 

 

About ten minutes later, Keith slammed his fist into the tall boys nose, and then bit his shoulder, prompting Shiro to remove Keith from the situation kicking and screaming. “Sorry about that, Matt, but we should hang out some other time.” Keith kicked him hard in the abdomen, so Shiro stopped there, but Matt was still thinking about that. They had sat in relative silence for nearly thirty minutes,  _ and Shiro wanted to be friends? With him? _

  
Matt let's Katie play for twenty more minutes before rounding her up. It's nap time. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting to think I should rename this "Matt Holt is oblivious" :)

When Matt woke up early Tuesday morning, it took him a moment to adjust to his surroundings. He bypassed Katie and his clothes in favor of the medicine cabinet and downing four Tylenol, and a swallow of tap water. 

 

He sits in the bathroom a moment longer, before realizing he needs to start getting ready for work, so he brushes his hair, and when it doesn't lay flat, he slips some Bobby pins in on the sides to keep it down. 

 

After he's dealt with hair and teeth, he changes out of his pajamas, and then wakes Katie up. Like him, she wakes slowly, pacifier half hanging out of her mouth, and immediately begins crying. 

 

“Hey, it's okay,” He murmurs. “Let's get dressed and we’ll go see Shiro.” He helps her into a cute purple and white dress, but she still follows him, clutching the bottom of her dress while tears streak her face. 

 

After he gives her toast and she still doesn’t calm down, he goes back to the medicine cabinet and pulls out the thermometer and the children’s medicine. Katie cries while he holds the thermometer under her tongue, but it beeps at just under a hundred. He feels terrible, but he still needs to go to work. He’s hoping it’s simply a small head cold and by this afternoon she’ll be fine. He gives her the allotted amount of medicine, and then helps her put her shoes on and slings the diaper bag over his shoulder. Immediately, Katie reaches to be picked up.

 

“I'll try to leave early today, I'm sorry you have to go to daycare.” Katie buries her head against his shoulder as he walks them down to the lobby. 

 

Shiro looks very concerned when Matt arrives to drop Katie off. He’s sure he looks like a wreck himself, but he's more worried about Katie who's still crying while he tries to hand the bag and blanket over. “Uhm, Tylenol as needed, let her have the pacifier today. Call me if there's any issues.”

 

Shiro has to help him untangle Katie away from him, and he kisses her forehead. He feels like a failure of a caregiver. “I'll be back as soon as I can.”

 

Katie hiccups, and then nods, rubbing her eyes. When Matt leaves the room, he catches her running over into Shiro’s arms. Matt smiles, and then remembers he has work to do.

 

The entire morning is spent in relative silence. Today, Haggar has actually come in to teach her class, and he closes the door to the office to keep the sound out. In that time, he grades all of the backlog homework and starts on grading the tests from last week. He feels great compared to this morning, and he begins to wonder if he can get out by three with this pace. 

 

It's at about noon when the overall feeling of fatigue returns to him. He taps his pen against the paper and wonders how much trouble he would get into for simply resting his head and taking a nap. 

 

He doesn't touch his lunch, but instead tries to clear his head with another dose of medicine, and then begins pouring over the quizzes Haggar has brought in from earlier in the day. 

 

Briefly he wonders if he should call the center and see how Katie is doing. Shiro would call them if there were issues, right? When Haggar disappears back into the lecture room, he taps out a message to Shiro.

 

_ M. Holt: Was Katie ok this morn.? _

 

_ Shiro: Baby fever before nap so i gave her a dose of Motrin. Hoping she wakes up feeling better ♡ _

_ M. Holt: ok. pls call if her fever is still there when she wakes up. _

 

_ Shiro: sure.  _

 

Matt holds back a sigh, and then returns to work. If Katie does wake up with a fever, he’ll have about an hour to finish what he can and take the rest home. He’ll also have to tell Haggar he intends to leave earlier than normal. He glances out the window, and Haggar is still lecturing. 

 

He’ll tell her after she's done. He glances back down at the testing sheets in front of him, and focuses again on marking wrong answers. 

 

Shiro calls him an hour and five minutes later. Matt has been brain dead for about the past twenty minutes, so it's almost welcome when Shiro’s call interrupts his work. 

 

“Her fever is back up, almost a hundred two,” Shiro explains, after Matt greets him. “I can set her aside from the group for a while, but you'll have to come get her.”

 

“I will, I'm on my way out now.” He begins shuffling papers around and into folders, dumping them into his bag. “I'll let you know what's going on after I take her to the doctor.” 

 

Matt hangs up, and then finishes collecting everything he will need to finish up his work. He slips a note to Haggar to let her know he's leaving, and then leaves to pick up Katie. 

 

As expected, when he arrives, Katie is lying wrapped up in the pillows with her blanket and pacifier and making the most pitiful sounds he's ever heard. 

 

“I'm sorry I had to bring her in today,” Is the first thing he blurts out to Shiro. He probably deals with kids coming in sick all the time, but he feels especially terrible anyways. “I - I, I still had to go to work, and I guess I figured it wasn't that bad.”

 

“It's okay, Matt,” Shiro says. “She was fine up until after nap. I'm sure it's just a small virus is all.”

 

Matt hopes he's right. He collects Katie into his arms and nestles her right up against him. 

 

“Text me when you figure it out later, maybe me and Keith can bring you over some soup,” Shiro says. He gives him a dazzling smile, and Matt attempts to return it. He's sure instead it looks like a half-assed grimace. 

 

“Uh, thanks. I guess I'll see you later then.”

 

Shiro waves goodbye to Katie, and they walk out, Katie coughing occasionally. He's not sure when the last time they were at the actual pediatrician, so he figures that the after hours clinic will have to do. He hopes Shiro is right and it's just a small virus with a cheap antibiotic. 

 

Surprising, the after hours clinic is pretty slow. There's another woman in there with an elementary aged child, but the rest of the waiting room is empty, and the only noise is Katie coughing and the tv playing Food Network. 

He has to fill out a lot of forms for the trip, and half of them ask questions he's not even sure about, and he writes in a question mark or does his best to answer something he doesn't even exactly know. Even at almost twenty years old, he feels lost with filling out the simple forms.

 

When he returns them to the receptionist, along with the fee (fifty dollars never felt like so much), he hopes he filled everything in correctly and Katie can be seen as soon as possible. 

 

After twenty minutes, the elementary child is called back. Matt drums his fingers on the chair. His headache is starting to return, so he's hoping that they get called back soon so they can go home and rest.

 

The elementary kid returns, and his mom fills out more paperwork before they leave. By now Katie is dozing on his arms and he's having aspirations of becoming the next food network star. 

 

They're finally called back into the room, right before they announce who's eliminated from the competition, but he still picks Katie up and follows the nurse. 

 

Unfortunately, since Katie was fast asleep, they had to gloss over weighing and checking her height. Instead the nurse jumps right into vital signs. 

 

After she checks everything, and gives Matt a hard enough look to petrify him, she leads them to another room and informs him the doctor will be in shortly. 

 

Matt can't ever remember waiting this long to see a doctor before, but maybe it was always because he visited a pediatrician when he was younger. He lays Katie on the padded table, and then sits in the chair. Fifteen minutes pass before the doctor finally walks in. 

 

“I'm Doctor Ulaz,” The man introduces. Matt can only focus on how tall the man is. Matt definitely is on the short side, but this man looks even taller than Shiro. “What's our issue for today?”

 

“Cough, fever, tiredness,” Matt lists her symptoms while Ulaz gently wakes Katie and begins giving her a check up. She cries a bit, especially when Matt has to hold her tightly when Ulaz swaps her throat. 

 

“I'm thinking it is most likely strep, but we will wait for the results,” Ulaz tells him. More waiting.

 

When the results do come back, it's confirmed strep throat, and Ulaz quickly writes him a script and he's sent on his way. It feels like it's been the quickest part of the whole doctor visit. 

 

They stop by the pharmacist before heading home, and also picks up some more motrin, as well as a fizzy soda and some plain crackers. He's going to have some serious budgeting issues for the month. He tries not to think about it too much. 

 

At home he lets Katie lay down with a movie while he spreads out his work, and then texts Shiro, since he specifically asked to know what was going on.

_ M. Holt: Katie has strep throat _

 

_ Shiro: Poor Baby :((( I'll bring over some soup later _

 

_ M. Holt: ok _

 

Katie falls asleep halfway through her movie, and he wonders if he should actually move her or leave her. Sleeping on the floor never hurt a child, right? 

 

He decides to move her to the trundle, and after he sits back down at his table. If he can finish entering grades for the students, then he can go to bed and sleep off his own cold.

 

But it wouldn't be so bad if he rested his head and closed his eyes for a minute, right? He could always take a cat nap to get rid of his headache and return to filling in grades after. He closes his laptop slowly and then slowly rests his head on the warm computer. 

 

Just a few minutes, he promised himself. 

 

When he awakens, he finds his bed pillow underneath his head and one of his extra blankets draped across his shoulders. Groggily he lifted his head, and clutched the blanket tighter. To his left is a scrap of paper ripped with a short message jotted down. 

 

_ Matt---- _

 

_ Let myself in, sorry :( soup in fridge! u looked uncomfortable so I snooped into your room sorry again :( i didnt want you to get cold… hope you feel better ♡ _

 

_ Shiro. _

 

Shiro. He really did have everyone’s best intentions at heart, didn't he? Matt slowly stood up and grabbed his pillow and phone. He slowly slipped into his bed, and turned his phone on. Three missed calls from Shiro.

_ M. Holt: Thanks for being a good friend _

 

_ Shiro: Feel better! ♡  _

 

_ Shiro: sorry again about just walking in _

 

_ M. Holt: np _

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please kudos/comment/bookmark it means a lot to me ♡
> 
> Bug me on Tumblr @agapeyuuri


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot happens in this chapter, don't be fooled by the word count ♡♡

Matt stayed home from work Wednesday and Thursday morning. By noon on Thursday he was feel much better, and Katie had been running around with her same energy as before. He figured they could return to work and daycare tomorrow without any issues. 

 

So Friday morning he gave Katie her antibiotic, a piece of toast and dressed her for the day. Her eyes looked much clearer and she no longer coughed. 

 

He also had to bleach her pacifier while she napped yesterday afternoon. Her attachment to it would be his downfall, and he didn't want her getting sick again. So he had filled a sink full of water, added bleach and let it sit so long that it’s pattern had started to fade. 

 

“You ready to go see Shiro again?” He asked her, while she munched on her toast and apple slices. He was eating his cheerios while he waited for her to finish. 

 

“No!” 

 

“Why not?” He asked her. 

 

“I wanna stay home with Matt, I don't wanna see Shiro!” 

 

“Matt has to go to work,” He reminded her. She looked about halfway to a full on fit. “Remember? Don't forget Shiro brought us soup while you were sick to make you feel better.”

 

Katie’s face scrunches up, and then she relaxes and all that remains is a half frown. “Fine.”

 

“Matt will come get you at three thirty,” He reminds her, as if she has any concept of telling time. “And then we can come home and I'll cook you some dinner. What do you want?”

 

She fakes thinking, like he does when he tells her no. 

 

“We’ll decide later,” He says. “We’ve got to leave so we can make it in time.”

 

After they arrive and he signs her in for the day, he finds Shiro nervously standing by the room door. Some of the kids are still eating breakfast, but after he sets Katie down she disregards it in favor of the toy shelf. 

 

“Oh, you're feeling better?” Shiro asked. His concerned, nervous look breaking into a happy demeanor. 

 

Matt nodded, and handed the diaper bag over to Shiro. “Uh, thank you for all your help, too.”

 

“It was no problem,” Shiro said. “Uh… hey, listen, do you want to like, go out tonight? Like dinner? I get out at four thirty.” 

 

Matt raised his eyebrows. “I’d love to hang out, but I doubt I could find a babysitter this quick.”

 

“Oh!” Shiro blushed. “Uh, well if you just wanna hang out, why don't you come over to my place? Keith would love Katie, I'm sure.”

 

“He's not going to bite her?” 

 

“I'll talk to him beforehand,” Shiro said. “So, I'll see you tonight?”

 

“Sure.” He nodded. “Look, I gotta go. I'll see you later.”

 

Shiro gave a half wave, and then awkwardly shook it through his hair. Matt smiled, and blew a kiss to Katie before leaving for work. 

 

Since he had mostly managed to catch up on grading while home sick, he spent most of his afternoon rearranging the office and pulling out exams and lesson plans from the year before to make copies. 

 

He also taught Haggar’s morning class, but made it clear to her he couldn't stay for the evening one. If needed he would find a substitute for her but needed to be out by three thirty on Fridays. 

 

“And that will wrap up this unit, pass forward your worksheets-” Matt paused while students began handing forward the papers. “Don't forget about your final exam next week.” 

 

A couple of people groaned and shook there heads. Matt gathered the worksheets up into a stack onto the lecture desk, pausing to flip through a couple as the student began to file out of the room. 

 

The room fell into silence, as it usually did. There was a two and a half hour wait between classes, so he doubted he would be seeing anyone for a while. 

 

Someone knocked on the door, halfway in already. “Matthew Holt?”

 

Matt snapped his head in the direction so fast he was worried he broke it. He didn't recognize the man, old and grey. He was wearing an instructions uniform even. “Present,” He replied. “How can I help?”

 

“I’d like for you to come with me.” 

 

Oh. That didn't sound good. That sounded like Garrison code for getting kicked out. He shuffled the papers back into order neatly and then stood. The instructor didn't say anything as he started leading them down the hall, and being as Matt was much shorter, he had to keep a quicker pace to keep up. 

 

They stopped in front of Iverson’s door. Iverson was in charge of flight simulation and assigning bright cadets to successful missions. He remembered being terrified of Iverson when he had been briefly assigned on the Kerberos mission. 

 

Still, at least being in front of Iverson meant he wasn't getting fired. 

 

Matt knocked, and was almost immediately granted entry. “Matthew Holt,” He stated, and then sat in the chair in front of Iverson. There was a long lapse of silence. 

 

“You were originally assigned to the Kerberos Mission, correct?” Iverson asked. He was looking right down at Matt’s folder, so he was unsure as to why the question was being asked. 

 

“Ah, correct. I withdrew for personal reasons-”

 

Iverson waved him off. “Doesn't matter. We’d like to reassign you to it. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”

 

“I'm not a communications officer!” He blurted out. “Sir.”

 

“No, but you have more than enough of the credits to grant you access as an entry level comm officer. You’ll oversee trainings and well as brief instruction with the ensemble team we’ve put together. You're a great instructor and communications officer, it's sad to see you give up and be an assistant, but it can't be helped.”

 

Matt grit his teeth. It wasn't exactly like he had a choice in the matter. “Thank you for this opportunity, sir. Allow me to consider all my options and return to you on Monday.”

 

“Granted.”

 

Matt stood and nodded his head, before leaving. Being reassigned to the Kerberos Mission? That was humongous. He was sure he had blown all of his chances with it by withdrawing his status and leaving the mission. 

 

But was he really ready to return to it? Kerberos would add so much stress on top of what he was already dealing with. Katie was a handful,  _ classes  _ were a handful. He couldn't imagine preparing thirty barely adults to be ready to go to fucking  _ Pluto.  _

 

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It didn't matter. It was a problem for him later. For now, he was going to go hang out with Shiro. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support!! I love getting messages/asks from you guys on my Tumblr @agapeyuuri ♡♡


	5. Chapter 5

****

Before Matt went over to Shiro’s he did two things. The first was change both his and Katie’s clothes. He was still wearing khakis and the awful orange and black blazer that teacher assistants were assigned to wear. Katie was a bit better, but her hair was a mess from being at daycare, and her skirt had a stain from painting. 

So they had changed. They both were wearing jeans and Matt had on grey tank top and a flannel. He got cold easily, and he figured in the middle of August that Shiro would probably have the air conditioning on.

Next, he helped Katie into her shirt. It was a pink tank top with gold palm tree patterns. 

After they finished redressing, he realized he didn't want to show up to Shiro’s empty handed. Since Shiro would he providing dinner he had two options: drinks or dessert. 

He managed to scavenge out an old brownie mix from in his cupboard. Since it was still within date, he used a hair band and pulled his bangs out of his face and made the mix and put it in the oven to bake. 

While it baked, he did Katie’s hair. He wasn't the greatest at doing hair by any means, but he knew how to do a few braids and ponytails. He did a few braids and then pulled them over to the side and snapped a band to keep it in place. Then he tied one of her favorite bows around it to keep it in place.  

“Sorry I don't do hair very well,” He said, leaning back. She touched the poof of hair that stemmed out from the braids. “Maybe Shiro can fix it.”

“I love it!” She shouted, grabbing his hand. “Is Shiro’s house nice?” 

“I don't know, I've never been.” He imagines it's better than their sparsely decorated home. “Let's get the brownies out and cut them up.”

After they package the brownies, and Katie slides on her sandals, they're finally ready to leave for Shiro’s.

“What do you think Shiro is making for dinner?” He asks her, as he slides her straps on. “Something yummy?”

“I hope it's macaroni,” Katie says. She reaches for him, and reluctantly he slipped her pacifier into her mouth. 

“I don't think Shiro would make macaroni,” He replied. Although, now that he thought about Shiro did take care of Keith. Keith probably liked macaroni and cheese just as much as other kids.

“I hope he does,” Katie says, and then falls to silence as they drive over. Shiro’s apartment building looks a lot nicer than the scattered brown complexes that they belong to. 

They park in front of 320-324, and Matt pulls Katie out of her carseat and sets her down while he grabs her diaper bag and the brownies. “You gotta get potty trained so I can stop carrying this everywhere.”

Katie didn't reply, just held her arms up to be picked up. He sighed and scooped her up, walking up to Shiro’s door and knocking. 

Almost immediately, Shiro opened the door. If Matt didn't know better, he'd say that Shiro was simply standing by the door waiting. 

“Come in, please take your shoes off.” Shiro led them in, and Matt toed off his own shoes and helped Katie out of her sandals. 

“Keith is in his room if you wanna go play with him, Katie,” Shiro said. “I'm going to start cooking if you want to just sit or whatever, Matt.”

Matt looked around at the living space. It wasn't as lavish as he was expecting, with the living room and dining room crammed into one space, but Shiro did have a couch and a chair, as well as thousands of pictures hanging up on the wall. Mostly of Keith, but there were a few of Shiro as well. 

“Did you used to work at the Garrison?” He asked, spying a picture of Shiro in the instructor uniform. 

“Huh?” Shiro glanced from where he was cutting onion. “Oh. Briefly. After I got my teaching degree I was there for about a year and taught Japanese and Algebra.”

“Why’d you leave?” He asked. “If you don't mind me asking.”

Shiro shrugged. “My sister was sick, so I took a leave of absence. After she passed and her husband was unfit to take care of Keith, I decided to have a career change.”

Shiro made it sound so  _ easy _ . 

“I work at the Garrison now too, I'm surprised I never took any of your classes when I was a cadet.” He smiled. Though, he had been exceptionally bright, he has skipped over algebra and calculus straight into trigonometry. As for his foreign language, he had been assigned to Spanish by his counselor. 

“Let me guess, you studied to be a…” Shiro paused. “Communications officer.”

“Yeah,” Matt replied. “But, enough about the Garrison. What's for dinner?” From the look of Shiro’s chopping board, it was completely indistinguishable. 

“Chicken alfredo.”

“Shouldn’t you be boiling the pasta?” Matt asked. “And, making the chicken?”

Shiro glanced down to his poorly cut onion. “Uh, probably?”

“Have you ever made chicken alfredo before?”

“Uhm,” Shiro mumbled a reply. “I found a recipe online twenty minutes ago?”

“I can help,” Matt offered. He went to pull his bangs back, and then remembered he forgot to take it out in the first place.  _ Embarrassing, _ he thought, but scooted into the kitchen alongside Shiro. “Here, you cook the chicken and start the pasta and I'll finish cutting everything up.” 

Shiro obediently handed the knife over. He pulled a pot out and started some water over heat and dumped the package of noodles into it immediately. 

“Shiro… what are you doing?” Matt asked. He couldn't believe such a nice, almost perfect human had no idea how to cook. 

“Making the pasta?”

“You're supposed to boil the water first.” He was beginning to think Shiro should have came over to his house and they could have had the canned Campbell soups that accumulated in his cupboards. “How did you make the chicken soup when I was sick?”

Shiro blushed. “My neighbor came over and helped.”

“Okay, ah.” He paused. “Start the chicken, I guess. The pasta isn't ruined. Just cut the chicken into strips and then fry them.”

Matt was beginning to worry that Shiro and Keith lived off from boxed and freezer meals. Thankfully, Shiro managed to cut the chicken with no issues. Matt sighed and then pulled out a saucepan to begin making the sauce. He melted the butter and then began adding the other ingredients and whisking them together.

“Can't you just add everything at once?” Shiro asked. 

“No, the butter would clump,” He explained. “Don't forget to flip your chicken so it's not raw.”

Shiro did so. “Where did you learn to cook?” 

“My mom taught me.” He frowned. “But I can't bake very well. I wasn't really ever a sweets person it never bugged me.”

“She must be a lovely person,” Shiro said, in such a sweet voice. He took his eyes of the dish to look at Matt. 

“Was,” He replied. He dropped the whisk into the sink. “She died in a car crash about a year ago.”

Shiro didn't reply, and Matt wasn't sure if he was relieved the conversation ended or was frustrated. Instead, he drained the noodles. “Is the chicken done?” 

“Yup,” Shiro held up the pan of sizzling meat. They added that to the noodles, and then Matt poured the sauce over it. “Thank you for helping, I know I was meant to cook….” 

“It's no issue.” 

Shiro paused another moment, as if he were deciding what do next. A screech down the hall made him glare that way, and he exited the kitchen down to what Matt figured was Keith's room. 

“We do  _ not  _ punch our friends,” Shiro yelled. Matt really hoped he was yelling at Keith and not Katie.

Sure enough, Keith’s voice erupted a moment later. “She's not my friend!”

“Akira Keith Kogane,” Shiro started.  There was a pause. “You made Katie upset when you hit her, even if she's not your friend you don't want to hurt others.” 

A minute lapsed. “I'm sorry Katie,” Keith muttered. 

“Good, now go wash up you two.” Shiro walked back down to the kitchen, shaking his head, and pulled out some plates. “Sorry, he's kind of a handful.”

“Not a big deal,” Matt replied. Secretly he was just glad Katie didn't hit him back. He placed some of dinner on an orange plastic plate, designated for Katie, and then sat it down on the table. 

After they finished plating for everyone, and Shiro had dug an old sippy cup out of his cabinet, they all sat down at the table to eat. Despite having just punched Katie, Keith was now absorbed in talking to her. Keith was talking in-depth to her about elementary school. 

“And they have these cool things called specials. Like, last year we went to the library and the gym. And then they had field trips, and it was stupid because Lance’s mom always went but Shiro never did, so I had to be in Lance’s group.”

Matt watched them in interest. Katie hung onto every word that Keith spoke to her, nodding her head in delight and taking bites of her dinner as he spoke to her about the beach, school, and boys. 

Sometimes he wished him and Katie weren't born so far apart, because while they had a strong bond, it was much more parental. But watching Katie interact with Keith made his heart sink. 

After they finished dinner, Keith and Katie went back to his room to play, and Matt helped Shiro with dishes. He scrubbed while Shiro rinsed and dried, and sighed as he passed him the last plate.

“Shiro?” He asked. 

“Yeah?” 

“I don't know what to do.” 

“With what?” Shiro asks. 

_ Kerberos _ , he wants to say. Instead, he shrugs. “A lot, I guess.” 

Shiro places the plate into the dish rack. “Well, if you ever need any help, I'm right here.”

“I know.” He sighs. “Well, I guess me and Katie should leave. You and Keith go ahead and eat those brownies.”

“You can stay, you know,” Shiro reasons. He's wiping down the counters, frowning. 

“Thank you, but we’ve intruded long enough.” He calls down the hall for Katie, and she bounds down to him and into his arms. They put back on their shoes and he grabs Katie’s diaper bag. 

**  
As they're leaving, Katie grabs his hand tightly. “I wish I had a brother that was like Keith!”  **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all your kudos/comments/bookmarks! ♡
> 
>  
> 
> Talk to me more on tumblr @agapeyuuri


	6. Chapter 6

Turning twenty wasn't as painful as Matt expected. It was a Monday, so it was a little sad to have to roll out of bed, but he had taken enough time off and couldn't afford any more. Still, after having gone through the motions of holidays last year without his parents, it was much easier this year. 

 

Today was still the day he had to give his final decision about Kerberos, as well. 

 

As he got them ready, he received a text from Allura. He slid his phone open to view the message.  _ Happy birthday you fucking nerd ♡ see you in a week.  _

 

_ Thank you,  _ he typed back. He had a few other messages and notifications for his birthday as well, but he could deal with those later. He finished dressing them, snagging a muffin to eat on his way.

 

“Alright, Katie, it's time to go see Shiro.”

 

“Is Keith going to be there?” She asked, bounding into his arms regardless. “I want to play with Keith again.”

 

“I'm sure you can soon. Ask Shiro.”

 

He dropped her off at daycare with a kiss and a wave and then left for work. He was going to put off his decision for Kerberos as long as possible, he'd go about his normal day, make a few comparisons and stroll into Iverson’s office at the very last minute to give his answer. 

 

It's been a little over a year now since he was first welcomed to the Kerberos mission. It was mostly still in planning then, five or six years until they were expected to launch. He had filled out several applications, questionnaires and written formal essays in hopes to be picked for the mission. 

 

He remembers being welcomed so well. He had gone home for Katie’s first birthday, and was watching her destroy the blueberry cream cheese cake with her tiny hands when he received the welcoming e-mail. 

 

His first day of training was meant to start the Friday after his parents died. Instead he withdrew, and began settling into his life as Katie’s caregiver. 

 

But, that was in the past. He was here now, and it wasn't like he was going to be one of the three in command for the mission like originally intended. He couldn't be, not with Katie.

 

When he walked in, he was surprised to see Haggar already there. If she showed at all, it was usually ten minutes before a lecture started so she could snarl at him to get away from the desk. Instead, she was sitting at her desk in her office, typing on her computer. 

 

“I heard you were rejoining Kerberos,” Haggar says, not looking up. He sets his bag down beside his desk. 

 

“I haven't made a decision.”

 

Haggar hums. “It would mean a pay raise. If you're so worried about not being my assistant any longer, you'll still be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” 

 

Matt frowned. He didn't suppose Haggar would understand his point of view. He was pretty sure Haggar didn't even have a dependent, and if she did, it was her husband's child. 

 

He really should be thankful for Haggar, she was the one who offered the assistant position in the first place. While he had been withdrawing from college and attempting to find a job, Haggar had offered him the position as her assistant. At the time he had been hoping to become Yamamoto’s or Holly’s TA, but he couldn't afford to be picky. 

 

“I'll consider the mission,” He promises. It's starting to look like he has more reasons to join it, rather than not to. A pay raise, more hours, and he finally could achieve his dream of joining an important space mission. 

 

But, at the same time, it meant longer days, he would have to find a sitter for Katie. It wasn't like he could bring her into work with him. 

 

By noon, Matt still hadn't made a decision. A few students had wished him happy birthday while he worked on grading papers, but for the most part he was left to stew in his own thoughts on the Kerberos mission in the silence. 

 

“I'm going to go see Iverson,” He said to Haggar, walking past her. Most classes were on break so students were walking to the cafeteria or outside. He walked instead to the opposite end and down to Iverson’s office. 

 

He knocked and was told to enter. “Iverson, sir, I've come with my decision.” 

 

“Sit,” Iverson gestured to a chair across from him. 

 

“Ah, I just came to tell you… I've agreed to take part in the Kerberos mission. But, as before, I can only be an assistant.”

 

“Great, we can't wait for you start,” Iverson said, standing up. “Why don't I show you the class you’ll be in charge of?” 

 

“Alright,” He let Iverson lead him. They went down to the basement, where flight simulation usually took place. Iverson led him over to a soundproof room filled with desks. “You’ll be in charge of junior assistant comm officers. As well as that, we’d like for you to temporarily join the staff of ground control assistants.” 

 

He nodded. “I understand.” 

 

“So every Monday, Wednesday and Friday you will report here rather than to Haggar. Of course, you'll earn a fifty cent pay raise, with a possibility of climbing the ladder. We'd love for you to continue your studies-”

 

“Not possible,” He cut him off. “I have to try and find a babysitter as it is for those nights.” 

 

Iverson nodded. “Well, we’ll give you the full run-down on Wednesday. Feel free to leave now.”

 

After he was also dismissed by Haggar, he packed up and left to go pick up Katie, even if it was much earlier than usual. He didn't like leaving her there if he wasn't working. 

 

Still, when he arrived, the day care was dark and quiet. He realized, dumbly, it must be nap time. Shiro was sitting just outside his classroom, against the door, calmly charting. 

 

“Matt you're here early,” Shiro said. He gave a small smile, and slowly Matt sat down beside him. 

 

“Yeah, I had to deal with something big with work, and then after that they sent me home.”

 

“Do you want me to go wake Katie?” Shiro asked. He sat down his clipboard. 

 

“Nah, she's a beast when she wakes up. I'll just sit here and wait.” He let his head fall back against the door.

 

“Okay,” Shiro paused. “What did you have to deal with after work?”

 

Matt shrugged. “I rejoined the Kerberos mission. Assistant ground communications, as well as instructor for junior ground communications.”

 

“That sounds good for you, Matt.” Shiro smiles towards him. “Just don't get too stressed out.”

 

“I won't,” He promises. 

 

“And if you need anything, ask me?” 

 

Matt nodded. “Actually, speaking of that. Would you be able to watch Katie this Wednesday and Friday? I usually have Allura do it, but she's obviously not here….”

 

Before he could even finish, Shiro was already nodding. “Sure, it's no problem. I'm sure she'd love to hang out with Keith again.”

 

“Thanks, Shiro.”

  
“No problem.” They fell back into silence. “Oh, and Matt? Happy birthday.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments/bookmarks/kudos ♡♡♡ 
> 
> Question: in my outline, in about chapter 10 Matt and Shiro will be having a date! Would you guys like me to bump this to an "M" to include some sexy times, or leave this at a "T" and simply imply/leave it out?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm things seem to finally be getting better for Matt 

By next Monday, Allura had returned. So far the training for Kerberos had been fairly lax this far, and his classes to teach already had material prepared that he simply had to put into the form of a lecture. 

 

Allura returning also meant Shiro no longer had to babysit Katie in the evenings, since Allura typically took her when he was busy.

 

“Actually, I can't watch her Fridays. I got a weekend job at the Nursery at the community hospital,” Allura explained, when he asked her. “Sorry, maybe Shiro will still watch her?” 

 

He hated asking Shiro. It wasn't so bad with Allura since he’d known her since his parents passed, but with Shiro he felt like he was intruding into his life. But he nodded regardless. 

 

“Sorry, again. But congratulations with getting put back on the mission.” 

 

“Thanks. Uh, where is Shiro now? I'll go ahead and ask him.” 

 

“He's over in the preschool room now, while Plaxum is on Maternity Leave.” Allura pointed him to one of the louder classrooms across the hall. 

 

“Thanks.” He waved to Katie, and then headed over to the other class. The preschool room was bigger, with shelves of smaller toys, centers, and walls covered in art. 

 

Shiro was at the side of the table with wood floors. He sat in the middle of kids eating breakfast, talking happily with a young girl with bright golden twin braids. 

 

He stood awkwardly in the doorway for a minute. He didn't want to simply barge in while he was working. 

 

After another moment, he left. 

 

For the rest of the week it went more or less the exact same way. He'd go to speak to Shiro, get shy, and then would leave before he even uttered a word. 

 

By Friday morning, he didn't have a choice but to suck it up and speak to him. He dropped Katie off a little bit earlier than usual so they weren't coming in right at breakfast time, and then went across to the preschool. 

 

“Shiro can I speak to you?” He asked, poking his head in. Shiro was sitting at a table helping some kids build a tower out of bristle blocks. 

 

After a moment he walked out into the hall with Matt. “What's up?” Shiro asked. 

 

“Can you watch Katie tonight? Please. I meant to ask you before, but I didn't get a chance to-” He kept blathering even though Shiro was beginning to talk over him.

 

“Of course I can, I love taking her.” Shiro smiled.

 

“Okay. Thank you a lot, Shiro.”

 

Late afternoon, Matt decided it was time to text Shiro and make sure Katie was doing okay. He felt bad about her being at daycare and then with a sitter, but at least with Shiro she could play with Keith. 

 

  1. _Holt: Is Katie being good?_



 

_ Shiro: Yup! We got chicken nuggets and French fries for dinner :) _

 

  1. _Holt: ...how many days a week do you eat out?_



 

_ Shiro: More often than I feel comfortable telling you  _

 

  1. _Holt: Maybe in exchange for watching Katie I should teach you how to cook_



 

_ Shiro: More time with you?? Any day  _

 

Matt blushed and set his phone aside, and tried to take his mind off it by finishing some busy work. Typically classes ended mid afternoon so he had to finish up his jobs as an assistant, file any documents, and then correct work that the Junior’s did so they could learn from their mistakes. 

 

It was almost eight by the time he had everything cleared with Iverson and could clock out, and nearly nine by the time he pulled into the parking space outside of Shiro’s apartment. 

 

He knocked, and heard some shuffling, and Shiro slowly opened the door to the dark apartment. The tv was on low, and a lamp on, but everything else seemed to be completely turned off. 

 

On the couch, Keith and Katie sat side by side, fast asleep. It looked like Shiro had placed a blue blanket over both their shoulders as well. 

 

“They fell asleep fifteen minutes ago,” Shiro said. “We went to the park so they probably ran off a lot of energy.” 

 

“That's good.” He moved around to pick her up. “Thank you again, Shiro. I know I asked last minute but you've been great!” 

 

“Hey, it's not a big deal Matt. Katie’s a great kid. You're a great older brother to her.” 

 

Matt falls silent, torn between talking to Shiro and simply scooping Katie up and leaving. “Thanks, that means a lot from you Shiro. Sometimes it's hard to remember that, I guess.” 

 

_ Stupid,  _ he chides himself. _ Shiro doesn't care to hear you vent.  _

 

“Why is that hard to believe for you, Matt? You’re so young, you had so much ahead of you and instead of pushing Katie off you dropped everything and have given her a pleasant childhood.” 

 

“I guess.” He picks Katie up into his arms. She stirs for a moment and then lays her head down on his shoulder. “Katie could be so much better off with our parents. We barely scrape by every month, I have to go to work and I can never take Katie to do fun things.” 

 

“Matt-” 

 

“Shiro, did you know I wanted to be an engineer  _ and  _ a communication officer. I  _ want  _ to go to Kerberos, but who is going to watch Katie for fourteen months? I love Katie so much, but I hate having to be responsible for her.”

 

Shiro suddenly hugs him. “Matt, you're not alone in this. I know how long you've been taking care of Katie on your own, but me and Allura are always willing to help you. No one is a perfect parent.” 

 

“I know, I just wish I could do more for her,” He admitted.

 

“You’re already doing enough, trust me.”  

 

Starting to feel like he overstayed his welcome, Matt nodded, readjusting Katie onto his hip. “I'll see you Monday?”

 

“See you Monday.” Shiro watched him leave, holding the door open for him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos/bookmarks/comments I really appreciate it!!!! ♡


	8. Chapter 8

For the most part everything stayed exactly the same. Allura took Katie Monday and Wednesday, Shiro took her on Friday. Matt continued work on the Kerberos mission with increasing intensity. 

 

August was beginning to end, and Shiro was set to return to the middle school as an assistant September 5th. 

 

On the last Friday of August, Matt dropped Katie off at daycare, made sure Shiro was still on for that night and then left for work. 

 

He's in the middle of a break, sorting through folders of information for Iverson, when the power goes out. It's instantaneous how many people suddenly call out. 

 

“Who turned the power off?” Someone from the room across from him yelled. 

 

“Is it storming?” Someone else asks. Matt quickly closed his folders and filed them. One of the receptionists came around to inform them of a brown out and that they could go home for the day. 

 

“Are we going to be closed again tomorrow?” One of the junior officers ask. “I'm gonna be honest, I want to sleep in.” 

 

“Just go home, we’ll send out emails when we get everything solved.” 

 

Matt didn't hesitate. After wrapping all his paperwork up and writing down the time on his timecard, he left to go pick Katie up from the center and go home for a slightly longer weekend. 

 

Since it wasn't even midday yet, the center was bustling. A long line of preschoolers stood in a line to go outside. Some older infants sat around a sand table. When Matt walked into Allura’s room, they were all sitting at the table working on an art project. 

 

There was a large blue paper that some kids were painting on. Others were putting rocks and grass on it with glue. Katie was part of a group were painting frogs and butterflies. 

 

“Matt, you're here early!” Allura said, looking up from the sink where she was elbow deep in blue paint. “Fake sick to get out of work?”

 

“Brownout,” He explained. 

 

“Nice.” Allura quickly washes off the paint and dries her arm off. “Katie has good news.” 

 

“Yeah!” Katie popped in, shoving her head in between his legs. “I pooped in the potty!”

 

“And we only had no wet pull ups,” Allura said, smiling. “So make sure she goes at home too, no more fooling you.”

 

“Does that mean I should start bringing in panties for you too?” He asked Katie. If it meant never buying pull ups again he'd run to the store right that moment to buy underwear. “Then you can be ready to go up into Ryner’s room when you're old enough.”

 

“Yes! I wanna be in panties, Matt!” She reached for him to pick her up. He pulled her up on top of his hip. She kissed his cheek. 

 

“Okay, thanks Allura. See you Monday.” 

 

“Bye, Matt. Have a good weekend.”

 

Katie waved to Allura as well, and then to the other toddlers crowded around the table. As he was signing Katie out for the day, he suddenly remembered he should let Shiro know he wouldn't need him that night. 

 

He poked his head into the preschool room. Then he remembered he had seen them leave to go outside.  _ I'll just text him,  _ he decided. 

 

He strapped Katie into her carseat and then sat down and pulled out his phone. 

 

  1. _Holt: No need to watch Katie, I picked her up early_



 

_ Shiro: Ok _

 

_ Shiro: Have a good weekend! Starting next week I wont be at the daycare but I can still take Katie on Fridays ♡♡ _

 

  1. _Holt: ♡_



 

He slid his phone into the cup holder and then clipped his seatbelt on. “Ready to go home, Katie?”

 

“Yup!”

 

“Let’s go home and get some lunch and take a nap.” He was already thinking about what they could have for lunch. They weren't usually home during the day. 

 

“I want a peanut butter sandwich!” Katie yells, which solves that problem. 

 

After they get home and eat, Matt lays Katie down for her nap and suddenly finds himself with at least an hour of downtime. Unused to the time to himself, he's unsure what to do. For the better part of an hour he sits on a pillow with a movie on, flipping between apps and snacking on a bag of chips. 

 

He probably looks awfully boring to an outsider bug he's never felt more relaxed in the past year and a half. 

 

Katie wakes up a short fifteen minutes earlier, holding her blanket and pacifier. When she sees the movie that's on, she runs over to him and sits on his lap. 

 

“Nope, let's go try the potty before we sit down,” He says. As expected, her pull up is wet from nap, but she pees in the toilet and puts on a new one without complaint. 

 

After that, he let's her lay with the pillow to watch her movie and he sits beside her on the carpet.

 

For the most part, the day is relaxing and easy. Katie finishes her movie and then plays quietly with puzzles, and when she gets bored with that she draws with markers and crayons. 

 

It's about eight thirty, when Katie is eating some grapes before bed, and he's sitting at the table with his laptop playing  _ Sims _ , when the day goes from relaxed to stressful. 

 

Allura calls him, which is weird, because Allura hates being called and has threatened him on several occasions over calls. So he figures it must be serious if Allura is calling him, of all people. 

 

“Hello?” He answers. 

 

“Matt,” Allura starts off, not even greeting him. “Listen, I have Keith, I need you to take him tonight because I have to go into work.”

 

“Whoa, what? Why do you have Keith?” He asked. He felt his heart beat faster. Shouldn't Keith be with Shiro? Where was Shiro?

 

“Listen, asshole, I'm on my way. Unilu or whatever her name is can only stay until ten, I need to go in. I'll explain everything when I get there.” With that, Allura hung up.

 

He looked down at Allura’s phone icon before hitting end. His stomach was fluttering nervously, imaging the worst scenarios. 

 

Ten minutes later, Allura arrived. She looked frazzled, her normally perfect hair falling from it's bun, and her mascara and eyeliner smudged like she had been crying. Keith walked in behind her with a backpack and a bandage on his cheek. 

 

“Okay.” Allura sighed. “Shiro is in the hospital.” 

 

Matt felt his heart plummet. “What happened?”

 

“Drunk driver. Slammed in Driver’s side. Thankfully, Keith was with me. Listen, I'll call you with any updates, but I really have to go.” 

 

He nods, and she leaves. Keith looks around the small apartment and frowned. “Where's your furniture?” 

 

“Ah, we don't have any.” 

 

“Where am I going to sleep then?” Keith asked. Matt suddenly thought about that too. Katie already slept on a trundle bed, it's not like he had any extra room. Maybe he could use some extra blankets to make a makeshift bed for Keith. It was just one night after all. 

 

He gets the two ready for bed. Keith doesn't have any pajamas, so Matt gives him one of his shirts to him, and it falls to Keith’s knees. While the two brush their teeth, Matt spreads out a few blankets on the floor and gives Keith his own pillow and another blanket to cover with. 

 

It looks a lot more cramped in there than it did before. 

 

He tucks them both in, gives Katie her pacifier and snuggle toy, and turns on the music and shuts off the light. 

 

“Matt?” Keith asks, as he's about to leave the room and shower. 

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Is Shiro going to be okay?” He asked. 

 

Matt frowned. “I don't know, bud. I'm sure he will, but I don't actually know.” 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No one asked for it and yet here is some Keith and Matt bonding. 
> 
> Also sorry it took so long lol!!! I knew what needed to be wrote and yet I couldn't get it down!

Allura arrived in the morning at ten, looking like she had ran on a light nap and two cups of coffee. Both the children had been up since seven, had toast, apple juice and a banana each. While Keith complained about their furniture for a solid ten minutes, he thought it was cool they got to sit on pillows at the table. 

 

When Allura arrived, Matt's apartment was in a state of disaster. The television had on  _ Octonauts,  _ Katie’s toy bin was strewn across the room, and Katie herself was in a weird state of undress. 

 

“Looks like you had a party in here,” Allura said when she walked in. He was doing dishes, watching Katie try convince Keith into her Ariel costume from last year. 

 

“You could say that,” He agreed. He rinsed the last dish and drained the water. “How's Shiro?”

 

Allura visibly cringed. “They're taking him in for surgery as soon as the surgeon gets there. They cleaned him up last night but he still looked awful when I got there. Aside from that, he's alive and semi conscious.” 

 

“What's he got surgery for?” He asked. He glanced over to make sure the two kids were playing instead of peeking in on the conversation.

 

“His arm,” Allura’s voice dropped. “Matt it was like, really messed up, I don't… I'm pretty sure they'll have to amputate it.” 

 

“You think so?” He asked. He tried to picture Shiro without an arm. The thought unsettled him but didn't necessarily disgust him. He imagined Shiro could still probably do everything he could before. 

 

“I'm guessing so. I'll keep in touch with you on how his condition is. I'm sure they'll let his lover see him.”

 

“I'm not his lover.” He blushed. “We just… send hearts to each other.” 

 

“Romantic,” Allura teased. He hid his face, because it was starting to feel like it was going to have a permanent blush. “Oh, is it okay if Keith stays another night? I have to work again tonight? Actually he might be better off here in general…. I can buy you some groceries if that helps?” 

 

“Uh, what?” He asked. She had spit out so much information in less than a minute that it sounded like she had come to two different conclusions. 

 

“I'll go grab some more clothes for Keith, and some groceries.” Allura turned to the door. “I'll see you in a few hours.” 

 

A few hours turned into almost five, but when Allura returned she had a duffle bag full of Keith's clothes, pillows, and blankets, as well as a few favorite books and toys. Along with that was a few plastic bags full of groceries. 

 

“Sorry it took so long, I saw a cute girl at the grocery store and she was telling me about the different kinds of plants,” Allura explained as she unpacked the bags. “Also I didn't really know what you eat so it's a mixed bag.”

 

Said mixed bag includes boxed macaroni, eggs, frozen waffles, cereal, hot cocoa mix, ramen noodles, Graham crackers, and a few other frozen meals to cook. 

 

“Where did you learn to grocery shop?” He asked, while she stuffed things into his freezer. 

 

“What do you mean?” She asked, as if he wasn't holding a pack of instant ramen and hot cocoa mix. 

 

“Nevermind,” He muttered. “Thank you, Allura. Call me with any changes with Shiro.”

 

“Of course.” She balled up the plastic sacks and threw them away. “I'll also make sure you get a chance to visit if you need me to watch the terror children.”

 

The day and the next passed without much news. Keith and Katie managed to trash most of the rooms, and he spent most of Sunday picking up while they played quietly at the table. He was busy making lunch for the two when Allura texted him. 

 

_ Allura-ing: Shiro is up & aware if you wanna visit him. He looks good for a man who got in a car crash and went under the knife  _

 

  1. _Holt: are u offering to watch Katie and Keith?_



 

_ Allura-ing: if it means you are reunited with your lover, yes.  _

 

  1. _Holt: Don't start w that_



 

_ Allura-ing: uvu  _

 

Matt sat his phone down, and then pulled plates out of the cupboard, setting their grilled cheese sandwiches on them, and then opened peach cups for each of them as well. He sat them in front of the two and cleared the table of the papers they'd been coloring. 

 

Watching Keith eat and chat with Katie made his heart ache a little bit. Keith should be going and visiting Shiro, not him. Keith was basically like Shiro’s son. He was sure if he was in a car crash Katie would want to see him. 

 

Maybe he should take Keith with him when he went to visit Shiro. 

 

The two finished up their sandwiches, and he took them to the sink to rinse. Almost immediately Katie scrambled for her pacifier and went to lay down in her bed. A minute later she reappeared and Keith went with her. The lullaby music could be heard as Keith exited the room, and he figured he must have turned it on for her. 

 

His phone chimed just as Keith was settling down to read one of the books he brought. From Allura, telling him that she was on her way over now. 

 

“Hey, Keith, get your shoes on. I'm gonna take you to see Shiro.” 

 

“Right now?” Keith asked, shutting his book. 

 

“As soon as Allura is here, yes,” He replied. Keith sat and began pulling on his tennis shoes, knotting the laces. Just as he was finishing, Allura walked in, pushing her sunglasses up onto her head. 

 

“Oh, you're taking Keith?” She asked. She looked at him with a frown. “I hadn't realized.”

 

Matt slips his own shoes on. “I figured Shiro probably wants to see him.”

 

“Probably.” Allura shrugged. “Katie is sleeping I’m guessing?” 

 

“Yeah. We should be back in an hour or two so hopefully she’ll sleep most of the time.” 

 

Allura waves him off. “It's not a big deal. Go see Shiro.”

 

Matt nods. He let's Keith lead the way down to the car and then opens the door for him and helps him into his booster seat. Once Keith was situated and comfortable, Matt shut the door and got behind the wheel. “Are you excited to go see Shiro?” 

 

“Yeah, I guess,” Keith replies quietly. “He's okay, right?” 

 

“Well, mostly.” He paused, trying to decide how to best explain to Keith. “Shiro will still be the same Shiro. He may just look a little different.” 

 

“How different?” Keith asked. “Will he have white hair and a purple arm?”

 

“Not quite that different,” Matt said, smiling. “But  definitely different.” 

 

The rest of the drive was mostly spent in silence. Keith occasionally kicked the back of the chair and he was glad Keith was in behind the passenger seat. 

 

When they arrived at the hospital, he helped Keith out of the car and then went in to check with the receptionist. “Shirogane… second floor, room two-twelve. It's on the right.” 

 

“Okay, thank you.” He grabbed Keith’s hand, afraid he'd run away from him, and then went to find the nearest elevator. When they finally found one, they were thankfully the only ones in it. 

 

Shiro's room was fairly easy to find, and after knocking, he finally let go of Keith's hand and led the one into the room. 

 

“Shiro!” Almost immediately Keith bounded onto Shiro's bed and hugged him. Matt walked in slower, taking in the surroundings of the room. Shiro was sitting up in his bed, one arm cradling Keith while Keith started talking a mile a minute to him. 

 

“So you're being good for Matt, right?” Shiro asked, smiling. 

 

Keith frowned. “Of course! Even though he makes me sleep on the floor.”  

 

Matt felt himself blush, but Shiro laughed and ruffled Keith’s hair. “It's just for a little bit. They're already talking about releasing me so long as there is no signs of infection and I go for PT.”

 

“What's PT?” Keith asked. After another moment he slid of Shiro's bed and onto the only chair occupying the room. Matt hung out near the wall, not wanting to interrupt them. 

 

“Physical therapy. They want to give me a prosthetic so it's never like a lost an arm.” 

 

Up until now, Keith hasn't noticed Shiro’s missing appendage, but as soon as he looked down right and saw only half an arm he let out a loud wail. 

 

“Uh,” Matt said stupidly, walking over to Keith. “What's up, buddy?” 

 

“Shiro is gonna die!” 

 

Matt wrapped his arms around Keith. “Shiro isn't going to die, he's going to come home soon. I know he looks sorta silly with no arm, but don't worry he’ll be home soon. They might even give him a  _ robot  _ arm, wouldn't that be cool?” 

 

“Really?” Keith asked. “Shiro are they really going to give you a robot arm?” 

 

“Maybe,” Shiro shook his head with laughter. “But I promise I'm not dying.” 

  
Keith’s eyes narrowed, as if he was deciding to believe him or not. Slowly he let go of Matt and then crawled into Shiro’s bed again and rested his head against his chest. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I didn't want to accidentally make anyone uncomfortable I decided to forgo adding any sex or mentions of sex in this chapter!!! Everything is fluffy and sweet and wholesome!

Shiro was able to return to his daily life at the end of September. Despite being released from the hospital after a week, he spent so much time at appointments, therapy and counseling that it wasn't like he was actually back. 

 

During that time, Matt found a nice woman to watch Keith and Katie on Fridays. Rosa McClain was mother to Aleah and Lance, both who were the same age groups as Keith and Katie. When he had tried to offer her money when he had returned home far later than normal she had waved him off and gave him chocolate chip cookies in cling wrap. 

 

For the most part, everything went well. Once Keith returned to living with Shiro, Matt found his apartment quiet and lonely without the extra body. 

 

But that was silly, he figured. 

 

Shiro didn't start taking Katie on Fridays until October. He had tried to start taking her earlier, but Matt assured him that Rosa had it covered until he was back to feeling completely himself. 

 

Up until that point, they contacted infrequently through text. Matt was too busy with preparing the crew of  _ Persephone _ , and from the sounds of it, Shiro was swamped with appointments and counseling. Keith even had to spend of few nights with them during a long weekend in the middle of October so Shiro could go seven hours away to see a specialist about getting a prosthetic. 

 

Shiro seemed… excited when he finally started taking Katie again. Katie seemed just as excited because when Matt had left work to drop her off she had all but leaped onto Shiro. 

 

“Sorry,” He muttered, dropping her diaper bag on Shiro’s table. “She's happy to see you.”

 

“I'm happy to see you too,” Shiro said, looking down at Katie. “What's new with Katie?”

 

“We’re using the potty now, full time,” Matt smiled. He had been so happy to cut wipes and pull-ups from his budget. “She hasn't had any accidents recently, so she should be okay.” 

 

“Ah that's good. Keith is in his room, why don't you go see him?” He placed Katie back on her feet and she bounded down the narrow hall and knocked straight into Keith’s door. 

 

Just like that, the air between them turned silent and Matt felt awkward. He needed to return from his extended lunch break in fifteen minutes to work on some corrupted communication files. “I should probably,” Matt cleared his throat. “Go.”

 

“Matt, wait.” Shiro hesitated and then placed a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Go out with me. Tomorrow.” 

 

“Uh.” Matt blinked, and then felt heat begin to rise to his face, starting with his nose. 

 

“I, uhm, you don't have to, if you're busy I understand, I just have wanted to ask you for a while now and with everything going on it didn't seem right….” Shiro drew on, and if possible he looked even more embarrassed than Matt felt. “But I like you, a lot, and I want to go out with you and hopefully build on that.”

 

Matt hadn't dated a lot. Being homeschooled in a church community was awful and weird, and he had dated some girl with bright hairbows and braces. When he started at The Garrison, no one dated as a promise to forever, it was all weird disconnected breakouts at midnight for greasy Chinese and sloppy makeouts in the quiet corridors. 

 

But the way Shiro put it, he sounded like he wanted it to be  _ forever,  _ like he wanted this to be the first date of hundreds. And Matt couldn't have been happier. If he didn't have Katie he would probably still be fucking around with flings and week long relationships. Instead at he felt like he was ready to start a relationship for the long haul. He wanted something stable, and Katie deserved that. 

 

“I like Thai, Takashi.” He smiled. “Text me your extravagant plans.” 

 

As it turned out, Shiro didn't seem to have much in the way of plans. Matt woke up the next morning to 3 characters of text. 

 

_ Shiro: 6pm.  _

 

Figuring he could not have been more vague, Matt was suddenly plagued with the fear that he'd show up looking stupid. He didn't have any nice clothes, aside from his Galaxy Garrison blazer. He wondered if he could still stuff himself into the button up he wore for his Senior pictures. He crept over Katie’s sleeping form and opened the closet, digging to the back to find  _ something  _ to wear. 

 

At the very back was the green shirt he had worn for Senior pictures. He had hated it, since it was taken in the middle of winter he hasn't wanted to wear a spring green color, and now he was wondering if he should wear it in the middle of October. 

 

Well it wasn't really like he had any better options. He hung the shirt and a pair of khakis aside, planning on taking a shower closer to the time to leave. 

 

Since Katie was still asleep, he decided to go start some breakfast. Katie was suddenly a huge fan of oatmeal, and Matt couldn't complain because it was easy to make, and embarrassingly cheap. Katie liked hers with sliced banana and peanut butter, and that was easy enough to add once the oatmeal was done cooking. 

 

He stirred the mixture, and took it off the stove,pouring some into a bowl for Katie. Then he peeled a banana and sliced a little bit off the top and cut it finely to add, as well as a scoop of peanut butter. It looked absolutely disgusting, but as long as Katie ate it, he didn't care. 

 

He went back to his room and gently woke Katie up. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, blinking slowly. “Good morning, Matt.”

 

“Good morning. Do you have to go to the bathroom?” He asked. 

 

“Hmm, no,” She said, and shakily stood. He tucked the trundle back under his bed. Even though she said she didn't have to, she bolted to the bathroom. 

 

He helped her get dressed into jeans and a striped shirt. Then he pulled her hair up into a ponytail for her, and although it fell a few minutes after he put it up, he felt pretty proud of it. 

 

They sat and ate oatmeal in relative silence. It wasn't until after they finished and Matt was washing the dishes that he remembered that he had no one to take Katie during the date. 

 

God, he really was dumb. 

 

He called Rosa, and after some flustered explaining she happily agreed to watch Katie overnight, which only made him more embarrassed since she really only needed to watch Katie for a few hours while they had dinner. It was no problem, she assured him several times.

 

The rest of the day passed slowly. Matt tried to focus on creating a new lesson plan for the following week, but wasn't getting very far. His students had too many variables, with trainings and a variety of other classes depending on their rank for the mission. 

 

While Katie took her afternoon nap, he showered and scrubbed, and then attempted to calm his mess of hair. He towel dried it and then combed it out, letting the rest of it dry, but his bangs wouldn't lay flat, and the back of his hair stuck up awkwardly. 

 

He tried to comb it down, and when that didn't work, he sprayed some hairspray and stuck some bobby pins in, hoping it would stay through dinner. Then he dressed and sat on his pillow, realizing he still had three hours. 

 

Katie woke up fifteen minutes later and he let her sit on his lap while he braided her hair, and that passed some time. Up until five thirty, when he needed to take her to Rosa, he found himself struggling to find something to do. 

 

Finally, it hit five fifteen, and he helped Katie into her shoes, grabbed her bag and drove them over to Rosa’s.

 

“Ah, Aleah is so excited,” Rosa said, taking Katie’s stuff from him. “Keith is here too, him and Lance are playing in the backyard.” 

 

“It’s not too much trouble is it?” He asked. He knew first hand how much Keith could be on his own, he couldn't imagine Keith and three other kids. 

 

“No, no, he's always good here. Him and Lance always have little fights, but it's never too bad. Nothing I'm not used to.” 

 

“Okay, thank you again,” He kissed Katie’s forehead and then left to go meet up with Shiro. 

 

He arrived five minutes early, and he forced himself to sit in his car until five fifty-nine so he didn't look so eager. Shiro opened the door as soon as he knocked, and he hoped Shiro hasn't seen him just sitting out in his car. 

 

“Are we just eating here?” He asked, watching Shiro button the rest of his shirt. He didn't want to sound ungrateful, but Shiro’s streak with cooking had so far been pretty bad. 

 

“No, we're going out for Thai food.” Shiro stopped buttoning his shirt. “That's what you said you liked, right?” 

 

“Yeah.” He smiled. The only place in the city that served Thai food was Angel’s Cafe and it had the best he'd ever had before. Even if he wasn't the biggest fan of spicy foods, he was willing to put up with mild discomfort in exchange for how good it tasted. 

 

“Good. And then I was thinking maybe we could go for a walk or something afterwards. And then come back here and watch a movie? Rosa said she'd take Keith all night so if you want to you can stay the night too.”

 

Matt blushed and looked down at his feet. “Uh, sure.” 

 

Shiro smiled, finally getting his last button done. “Okay, you're probably going to have to drive. Still haven't mastered it one handed.” 

 

“No problem.” He smiled and held the door for Shiro. He liked driving, and he was pretty good at it. He was always very careful about it as well. “Passenger can pick music.” 

 

“What an honor,” Shiro smiled, clicking his seatbelt in. Then he peered over Matt’s music collection, and slid in an Ed Sheeran disc. 

 

“That has Shape of You,” Matt warned. 

 

“I know.” Shiro grinned and tapped the skip button to get where he wanted. 

 

“I sing terribly,” Matt told him. “And no, I'm not gonna  _ not  _ sing Shape of You.” 

 

“I wasn't gonna stop you.” 

 

Two Ed Sheeran songs later, Matt felt bad that Shiro had to endure his singing, and let Castle on the Hill play without him singing along. Just as the song was finishing, he pulled into a parking space in front of Angel’s and set the car into park. “We've arrived.” 

 

He got out and opened the door for Shiro, and as they were heading inside, Shiro held the door for him. 

 

They didn't have to wait long to be seated. It was fairly quiet, despite many tables and booths being full. Music played softly overhead, and the hostess gave them menus. 

 

“What's good to eat here?” Shiro asked, opening his menu. He seemed overwhelmed with the long lists of things included in the dishes. 

 

“I like the pad thai,” Matt said, pointing to it. “And Kow Pad, especially with yellow curry and chicken.” 

 

“And you promise their good?” Shiro seemed skeptical still. 

 

“Hey, if you don't like them, I'll eat them. As for a drink you absolutely have to try their bubble tea here.”

 

“What's bubble tea?” Shiro asked, narrowing his eyes. Matt ignored him in favor of repeating their order to the waitress who had brought them water. 

 

“You'll love it,” Matt promised him. 

 

The next twenty minutes fell into relative small talk. Matt talked about the mission, Shiro talked about his class he assisted in at the middle school. Food and drinks arrived and Matt dug into the Pad Thai with gusto, nodding along as Shiro talked about a education issues at length. 

 

Shiro took a sip of his bubble tea, and to Matt's delight, seemed to rather enjoy it. 

 

“What kind of a movie would you like to watch tonight?” Shiro asked him. “Me and Keith have a ton to choose from.” 

 

Matt tried to remember the last time he watched something that wasn't Zootopia or Moana. “Uhm, you pick. No horror.” 

 

“Ever seen Dirty Dancing?” 

 

“Excuse you, when I grew up I thought I was gonna be a dance instructor like Johnny.” 

 

Shiro was thoughtful as he took another sip of his drink. “RENT?”

 

“I've seen it, but it's been a while.” 

 

“So is that a yes?” Shiro asked. Matt stuffed another forkful of noodles into his mouth and nodded. 

 

When the bill arrived, Shiro insisted on paying for all of it, and Matt tried not to protest too much. There were plenty of other chances he could pay for it, he assured himself. 

 

He sipped his bubble tea, wondering if they should skip their walk. It was getting pretty cold out now, from the looks of it. Maybe he could take a nap while they watched their movie. He never got to take naps. 

 

Shiro handed the bill back over to the waitress, and Matt slammed down a ten for the tip before Shiro could. “Let’s go watch a movie, it looks too cold to walk.” 

 

“Are you sure?” Shiro asked. Matt glanced back out the window where storm clouds were beginning to roll in overhead. 

 

“Yeah. I want hot cocoa and blankets and the movie.” 

 

Shiro shook his head. “What a high maintenance man.” 

 

“Honey,” Matt pouted. “Babydoll, I'm  _ low _ maintenance.”

 

“Sure.” Shiro threw his arm around Matt's shoulders as they walked back to the car. Then Matt opened Shiro's door for him and climbed into the driver’s side.

 

The drive back to Shiro’s was quiet. Matt tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the Rihanna song. Even when they arrived, Matt still held his tongue, unsure what to say to Shiro. Dinner was one thing, but sitting their watching a movie wrapped up next to Shiro seemed much more intimate. 

 

Shiro unlocked his door and ushered them inside, setting his keys down in a bowl next to the door. Matt scanned the room and quickly realized Shiro didn't have a tv in the living room. 

 

“I had to move it to my room because otherwise Keith would just watch it all day,” Shiro explained before he even asked. 

 

“I would do that with Katie but we don't have room for it in our room.” He shrugged. He didn't see a problem with it, but he also was smarter than Katie and put tape over the controls on the tv and hid the remote. 

 

“You're welcome to go into my room and get comfortable if you like, I'll make you the cocoa that you wanted,” Shiro ruffled the top of his hair and went over to the  kitchen. Matt waited until he saw him pull out a premade mix before he left down the hall. 

 

Shiro’s apartment had three bedrooms. Keith's, which was labeled with a ripped piece of paper and his name written in block letters, a spare, which had it's door open to reveal a mostly  empty room with a twin bed pushed to the right wall, and the master bedroom. 

 

Matt pushed open the door to the master bedroom. The bed was large and Matt had to stop himself from launching onto it. He sat on it and scooted back until his head hit a pillow. He rolled on his side, looking at how much bed was still left. He was so used to sleeping on his half broken twin bed he almost forgot what it was like to sleep in a full size or bigger bed. 

 

When Shiro came in with two mugs, Matt had taken it upon himself to crawl underneath the blankets, cocooned himself and stuck a pillow underneath his arm for comfort. 

 

Shiro set his mug down on the nightstand beside him, and then turned on the tv, switching it on to Netflix. Another minute passed and Matt could hear the opening of RENT.

 

He turned over to the side to watch Shiro gather up the blankets a bit and slide underneath them beside him. 

 

“Can I cuddle you?” He asked. 

 

Matt nodded, letting Shiro gather him up in his arms. He sighed and let his head rest on Shiro’s chest. 

  
_ I love this _ , he couldn't help but think. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone reading, leaving kudos, commenting and bookmarking!! ♡♡♡
> 
> If you'd like an extra chapter (or simply a side story) where Shiro and Matt actually indulge in some sexual acts, leave me a comment or message me @agapeyuuri on Tumblr to let me know ♡♡♡♡♡


	11. Chapter 11

Matt continued his dates with Shiro almost every Saturday. When it wasn't possible to go out, Shiro would invite him and Katie over for dinner or to watch a movie. 

 

Matt honestly couldn't remember a time when he was happier. 

 

As Katie’s third birthday approached, Matt felt as if he was planning something and was scared that he was about to get dumped. He already had quite the surprise for Katie and he was worried he was needlessly worried about his and Shiro’s relationship. 

 

Instead, Shiro invited them over for dinner the Saturday before Katie’s third birthday. 

 

“Me and Keith have presents for her too, so go ahead and bring over whatever you have for her so she can open them all in one go,” Shiro explained. 

 

“Okay,” Matt replied, suddenly wondering if he could go pick up his special surprise present three days early without tipping Katie off. Maybe he could drop Katie off and then leave and go pick up her present? Whatever, he'd figure it out as he went.

 

“Is that going to be okay?” Shiro asked. 

 

“Of course,” He sighed, then decided to tease.  “Just trying to decide if I want to shower for you or not.” 

 

“Dude,” Shiro started. He was stopped by a loud crash on his side of the phone. “I should go. Keith is getting his destructive tendies out so we can have a pleasant dinner.”

 

He hung up right before he began yelling. 

 

Matt figured he better start getting ready. He knew even though he had joked with Shiro he was going to shower no matter what, because he felt disgusting if he skipped a day. Plus no one like cuddling up to a greasy twenty year old. 

He scrubbed himself, washed his hair, and dressed. Since he was basically all done with impressing Shiro, he threw on jeans, a tank top and a pullover hoodie with the garrison logo.

 

When Katie woke up, he bathed her as well, brushed out her long hair and began putting it into a pull through braid. It wasn't even a braid, but it was cute and easy. Allura had shown him when she babysat Katie last, and Katie loved the hairstyle. 

 

“Are we gonna go see Shiro?” She asked him, as he helped her into some pants and a long sleeve. She looked so adorable, he couldn't believe it. 

 

“Yes. You like Shiro don't you?” 

 

“Uh-huh.” She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. “Are you and Shiro going to get married?” 

 

“Why do you ask?” 

 

“Because you kiss and Allura says people who are really in love kiss. So I think you should get married and Shiro can wear a big white dress,” Katie explained. “Plus I want Shiro to be my dad like he's Keith's dad.”

 

Matt smiled. “Well, Allura is right, you do kiss people you love. But I don't think me and Shiro are gonna get married anytime soon, and if we were I think both of us would wear suits.”

 

“Really?” Katie asked. “Can they be orange?” 

 

“No. But maybe orange ties or flowers, how does that sound?”

 

She nodded her vigorously in agreement. 

 

“Okay, go get your shoes on and use the potty and we'll go see what Shiro made us for dinner.” He helps her stand up and then goes and puts his own shoes on. He packs her bag with a few extra clothes and a pull up in case the decide to spend the night. Then he folds a blanket a few times and tucks that in as well. Katie bounds out of the bathroom to him to slip on her shoes. 

 

“Pacifier?” She asks. He rolls his eyes and then digs through her bag and hands it to her. He should really start breaking that habit. 

 

Not today, though. 

 

He pops it into her mouth and takes her hand. They drive to Shiro’s multiple times a month now that it's nothing new. Katie is always excited to go see him and Keith. 

 

When they arrive, Keith is the first to open the door, surprisingly. Matt drops Katie’s bag down and toes off his shoes. 

 

“Good evening,” Shiro says, leaning over to give him a kiss. When Katie motions, he also leans down and gives her one too. 

 

“So what did you make for dinner, chef?” Matt asked, after both Katie and Keith had run off to play. 

 

“Well, someone told me Katie’s favorite food was pancakes and bacon, but.” Shiro glanced over to a pan with half cooked bacon. “I got scared.” 

 

Matt laughed and pinned his hair back. “You start cooking the pancakes. I'll take on the bacon.”

 

Matt turned the stovetop back on, and began browning the bacon. Beside him, Shiro poured out a little pancake mix on a heated pan.

 

“Shiro?” Matt asked, watching him. 

 

“Yes, lovely?” 

 

“What are you doing?” Matt asked. Shiro whisked in the other necessary ingredients along with the mix in the pan. 

 

Shiro frowned. “Making pancakes?” 

 

Matt took a deep breath. “I'm…. How?” He took the box from Shiro. “You need to mix the ingredients in a bowl before you put them in the pan.” 

 

“Ah,” Shiro looks more closely at the box. “I suppose you are correct.” 

 

Matt shook his head, and wondered how the bacon managed to get so far without getting messed up. He flipped it over to cook the other side, and when Shiro stepped away from the stove to make the mix correctly, he turned Shiro’s burner off. “You're a hazard to yourself.”

 

“But you still love me?” 

 

“I'm afraid to leave you alone with cooking equipment for your own safety,” Matt replied, and kissed Shiro’s cheek. “But yes, I still love you.”

 

“You still have to teach me how to cook like you told me you were going to.” 

 

“I don't think I can help you.” 

 

Shiro nudged him playfully. When he was finished mixing the batter he pulled out a new pan and placed it on the stove top. “Okay, what now?”

 

“You'll want butter or margarine so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.” 

 

“Ah,” Shiro mumbled. He scooped out a bit of butter and dropped it in the pan. Matt coated the pan for him, while Shiro dropped some batter in the middle. “Maybe pancakes will be my thing.”

 

“We can only hope.” 

 

Twenty minutes later, Shiro had an impressive stack of pancakes, both kids were washed up for dinner, and Matt was plating the food for them. He cut Katie’s pancake into strips and then poured a little bit of syrup on the side, and let Keith cut his own. 

 

After everyone ate, Keith excused himself and ran off to his room. Shiro and Matt shared a look. Keith reappeared a second later and set  a bouquet of wildflowers wrapped in construction paper on the table in front of Katie. 

 

“Lance helped me pick them for you,” Keith mumbled. Matt spotted a pretty morning glory that he knew Rosa grew in her garden. 

 

“Thank you Keith,” Katie said, picking up the construction papered bouquet. “It's very pretty.”

 

“I have a present for you too.” Shiro stood, disappeared and reappeared a second later with a neatly wrapped present. “It’s not that special.” 

 

Katie still opened it with vigor, and pulled the contents out from the wrapping paper. Several dresses, pants, and shirts fell onto the table. It looked almost like an entire wardrobe.

 

“They're so cute!” Katie said, holding up one of the shirts that had Princess Ariel on it. She held up a few others as well before Matt took them and sat them aside. 

 

Matt cleared his throat. “We'll have to pick my present up on the way home, okay?” 

 

“Okay,” Katie said with a smile. 

 

Turns out they never get to drive home. Another thirty minutes of playing, and Katie falls asleep while hiding in the linen closet. Shiro insists they stay the night, and let's Katie sleep in the spare room, which has more space than Katie has ever gotten to sleep on before. 

 

Shiro moved the television into the living room, and let Keith pick a movie to watch while Matt and Shiro cuddled on the couch. Keith eventually decided on The Road to El Dorado, and he sat in the chair with a blanket to watch it. 

 

Sometime near the end of the movie, Matt felt Shiro jostle him a bit and looked over to him. 

 

“Hey, Matt?” 

 

“Yeah?” Matt replied. He glanced over to where Keith was half asleep in the chair. He looked like he was trying to finish the movie, but another moment later he finally let his eyes close. 

 

“I want you to move in with me.”

 

Matt blinked, and then looked up at Shiro. “Really?” 

 

“I want you and Katie to move in with us… I can't think of anything that would make me happier.” 

 

Matt tried to process what Shiro had just said, but found no reason as to why he should turn him down. He liked,  _ loved,  _ Shiro, but weren't they moving so fast? 

 

And he had been taking care of Katie by himself for so long. What would she think? Having to share in a household of four instead of two? 

 

Instead, Matt tried to think of the good. More income. He wasn't going to be single parenting or by himself anymore. It wouldn't just be him, and he'd get to live with someone that he was pretty sure was his soulmate. 

  
Matt cuddled up closer to Shiro’s side. “Of course.” 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh if you don't think Katie's favorite princess wouldn't be Ariel you can fight me

Since Shiro wanted them to move in together as soon as possible, Matt took the following Friday off from work. He had a few boxes, but found it difficult to pack. Some things he couldn't take, like the bed, and had been trying to find someone who would buy it off from him.

 

Katie had been little help. She had found it fun, putting her toys in a box, but after that she was quickly distracted and bored. He had turned on one of her movies, and packed up what they had. He started in the kitchen, wrapping mugs and cups in newspaper. Then plates, bowls, and non perishable foods. He looked at the few packed boxes he had and already felt exhausted. He had forgotten how much went into moving. 

 

He took a break and watched part of Moana with Katie. He was so glad it had been put on Netflix. After that, he went to the bathroom and packed that. It was much easier than the kitchen. Just the towels and linens, the medicine cabinet and other toiletries. 

 

He couldn't remember if he had brought the shower curtain or if it was part of the apartment, but in the end be takes it down and packs it alongside the bathmat. 

 

As he was about to move into the bedroom, Katie walked up to him, rubbing her eyes. “Matt, I'm ready to nap.” 

 

“Okay, let me get your-” He paused before he said pacifier. Wednesday when he had been texting Shiro, Shiro mentioned how he should be breaking Katie of her pacifier. 

 

He hasn't really thought about it much. He knew that at some point he needed to break it, but when she only used it for nap and bedtime he hadn't really seen the issue. 

 

But Shiro knew a lot about kids, he  _ must  _ know what was best. Didn't it really mess up teeth? 

 

“I'm sorry, pigeon, I don't remember where I sat your pacifier. Can you take your nap without it?” 

 

“But-”

 

“I'm sure I'll find it when I'm going through the house, okay? Try and take a good nap.” He walked her over to their bedroom and pulled out the trundle, helping into her bed. He felt really guilty about lying to her, but she laid down without complaint and closed her eyes when he turned on her lullabies and turned the blinds so the room was dark. 

 

He closes the door, and brings the boxes from inside the bathroom into the living room and begins packing that. He realizes how little things they own. They have a lot of clutter, an excess of pens, paper and coffee filters, but not a lot of stuff, he finds. Pillows and blankets and pictures. Fridge magnets and some office supplies, and aside from the bedroom, he finds that he's completely packed their apartment. 

 

Well he supposes they'll be moved in sooner rather than later like Shiro wanted. 

 

He finishes taping down the box when he hears the bedroom door open. It's only been twenty five minutes since he laid Katie down, but there she is, rubbing her eyes in the doorway. 

 

“Did you take a nap?” He asked her. 

 

“Did you find my pacifier?” She asked, completely ignoring his question. He sighed and dug around in her bag until his fingers touched her pacifier and handed it to her. 

 

“Katie, you know you need to stop using a pacifier. You're much too old for it.” 

 

She sticks it in her mouth and runs back to the bedroom. Well, so much for breaking her of the habit. 

 

The next day when Shiro arrives bright and early to help move boxes, Matt feels so ashamed he hides her pacifier in the bag he had packed for her so she had things before they got completely unpacked. He knew him and Shiro didn't see completely eye to eye on parenting subjects, so he was going to do his best to hide the sore subject for as long as possible. 

 

Since Matt’s apartment was so small, they were able to fit all the boxes aside from a few into both their cars, and Shiro simply made a return trip to grab the last few. He also took the small table and promised that he would repurpose it into something for Katie to use to play with. 

 

The bed was still the only thing that they were uncertain about. While Matt was hanging photos, Shiro was looking for somewhere to keep the bed in storage. Eventually, Allura agreed to keep it at her apartment in her spare room, and if they ever needed it they could get it. 

 

Matt highly doubts they'll ever move and can't think of any reason to have the bed, so he hopes Allura knows they basically gave it to her for free. 

 

Shiro helps him spend the day unpacking. Matt certainly spends too much time in Katie’s room. Hanging pictures and Disney merchandise they've accumulated. Shiro managed to snag a deal with one of his co workers, and so the bedspread is no longer a plain blue, but is rather Cinderella. Matt can't bring himself to tell Shiro that it's Katie’s least favorite princess, and thankfully Katie doesn't mention it either. 

 

“See, it's starting to look like  _ our  _ home,” Shiro says with a smile. The only thing that is a drastic change is the guest room is now Katie’s room, and there's a large framed photo of Matt holding a newborn Katie. 

 

Still, Matt kisses his cheek and agrees with him. 

 

They have pizza for dinner, because Shiro still can't cook, and Matt isn't in the mood to correct his boyfriends terrible chef skills. The kids don't seem to mind in the least. It's delivered in a timely manner, and Matt let's them eat it on top of the cardboard boxes like they're at a restaurant. 

 

Shiro finishes unpacking the kitchen, even though all Matt really has to offer is his half a box of cheerios and sippy cups. Now that he thinks about it, he's pretty sure Shiro hates sippy cups too. 

 

While Shiro unpacks, Matt bathes and gets Katie ready for bed. She gets the spare jammies he packed on, and crawls into the big bed and snuggles against her Ariel pillow. 

 

“Do you like your new room?” He asks her. She nods vigorously, reaching up to give him a hug. 

 

“I love you Matt, and I love my room.” She smiles. 

 

He gives her a quick squeeze. “Okay. Your lullabies are still packed so you'll have to sleep without them. Do you want to say goodnight to Shiro too? Or a book?” 

 

“Hm, no,” She says. “I'll see him in the morning, it's okay.” 

 

He stands. “Okay, well goodnight.” He digs in her bag and hands her the pacifier, and she smiles and lays her head down immediately with it in her mouth. 

 

When Keith finishes showering, Matt attempts to tuck him in too, but Keith seems reluctant to allow him to, and eventually Matt simply shuts the door and let's Keith figure it out. 

 

Shiro is sitting at the table, obviously taking a break from unpacking. He has open a book and a mug of tea. Matt sneaks behind him and loops his arms around his boyfriend, resting his chin on top of Shiro’s head. 

 

“It’s been a long weekend,” Matt complained. 

 

“Yes it has,” Shiro agreed. “But it's almost over.” 

  
“Mhmm, not quite yet.” Matt leaned down and kissed Shiro. It was awkward at the angle, but neither seemed to mind. “I think I have some ideas on how to spend the rest of it.” 


	13. Chapter 13

A week in with living with Shiro, and Matt was already feeling drained. Now don’t get him wrong, he loves Shiro. He loves that he can take a shower in the morning, and that he doesn’t have to worry about stepping on Katie everytime he steps out of bed. He enjoys the larger rooms, and cooking for a big family, like he’s always wanted to. 

 

But everything isn’t quite as clear cut as he had hoped it would be. He loved Shiro dearly, and enjoyed spending the time with him, but Shiro was much stricter with both the kids than Matt was. 

 

Shiro worked early in the morning until about mid afternoon, so Matt usually was with the kids in the morning, and Shiro was with them in the evening. He could definitely tell the difference between their two different parenting styles. 

 

Matt was much more lenient. He let the kids dress themselves and pick out their lunches. He let them eat in the living room and watch a cartoon before school. Sometimes he'd even buy them muffins or doughnuts on the way. 

 

Shiro… didn’t. While he was certainly lenient about food, there were strict rules involving what they could play with, where they could eat and when. Matt didn't necessarily think Shiro was a bad parent, but they definitely butted heads. Matt was too used to raising Katie on his own, and he didn't even think about it until one day Katie was watching the little mermaid and he was sitting at the table doing work. Keith was over at Lance’s, so Shiro was (attempting) to cook the three of them dinner. 

 

While Shiro diligently peeled and cut potatoes, Katie moved from the couch over to sit in Matt’s lap. He was used to it, and quickly accommodated Katie in his lap, returning back to the files he was working on. 

 

Shiro seemed… upset, by it over, and stopped peeling the potatoes. “Katie if you're watching a movie you need to sit in the living room.” 

 

“But-” 

 

“No buts, Matt is trying to work.” 

 

She slowly slid off his lap and crawled back over to the couch. Shiro resumed peeling potatoes. 

 

Matt stayed quiet a moment, reading through another email. When he had properly replied to it, he turned towards Shiro. “You know, there was nothing wrong with her sitting here. She used to do it all the time.” 

 

“You were trying to work,” Shiro replied. His voice sounds tense, and Matt almost decides to drop it. Almost. 

 

“Listen, I know you have rules and stuff, but some of them are kind of ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with letting her sit with me, or letting Keith wear flip flops in the house or-” 

 

Shiro slams the knife onto the cutting board. “Keith  _ knows  _ the rules in the house and you being so lenient with them allows him to believe he can do whatever he wants! I'm trying to teach them to become good citizens.”

 

“Katie is  _ three,  _ Shiro!” He yells. When Katie glances over to him, he drops his voice. “This is  _ our  _ house now, maybe you should start acting like it is.” 

 

He turns back to his work before Shiro can reply. It's another minute before he can hear him chopping potatoes again. 

 

An hour later and Shiro served them dinner. The television was shut off and moved back to their room, Katie’s toys were picked up and everything cleaned before they sat down. Matt helped Katie wash her hands before they all sat down and Shiro placed plates and cups in front of them. 

 

Dinner for the day was mashed potatoes, spinach, and fried chicken. Matt couldn't help but notice the chicken was burned on one side and extremely salty. He picked at his lumpy mashed potatoes instead, refusing to make eye contact with Shiro. 

 

“I like dinner, Shiro,” Katie said, chewing loudly on her chicken. 

 

“Don't forget to eat your spinach, dear,” Shiro replied. To prove his point, Matt stuffed a forkful forkful of spinach in his own mouth. 

 

“I won't,” Katie replied. “Can I have two cookies after dinner? Someone needs to eat Keith's.” 

 

Matt almost laughed. But he was still pretty angry at Shiro so he kept his mouth shut. 

 

While Shiro gently told Katie that no, she couldn't have two cookies, Matt finished his plate of food and took his things to the sink. He did the dishes in silence once they finished dinner, picked up Keith an hour later and got the two children ready for bed. Meanwhile, Shiro had seemed to have caught onto his bad mood and left him alone in favor of grading his tests. 

 

After he tucked Katie in and turned on her music, he shut the door and went into Keith's room. “Did you brush your teeth?” He asked. Keith nodded and slowly got into his bed, letting Matt cover him up with star wars blanket. Keith had decided Star Wars was cool when him and Lance watched it one day. 

 

“Why are you and Shiro fighting?” Keith asked. “I thought you two loved each other?” 

 

Matt sighed, and took Keith's hand. “We do. But sometimes we disagree on things. You know how Lance likes strawberry soda, but you don't?” 

 

“Yeah, but I broke Lance’s nose ‘cause of that. You didn't break Shiro’s nose.”

 

“No, but that's because adults handle things differently. I promise by tomorrow me and Shiro will be all better.” 

 

“You're sure?” Keith asked. 

 

“Yes, we still love each other a lot. You still like Lance even though he likes Strawberry soda, right?” 

 

“Yeah.” Keith curled up in his blanket. “Thanks, Matt.” 

 

“Have sweet dreams.” Matt flipped off the lights and quietly closed the door. He took a deep breath, wondering if he should talk it out with Shiro. It was probably better than giving him the cold shoulder and making both the kids worry. 

 

Shiro was sitting at the table like he had left him, with paper tests surrounding him and a red pen in his hand. He didn't look up as Matt took the seat beside him. 

 

“So I think we should talk,” Matt says. Shiro looks up so fast Matt is worried he's going to get whiplash. He quickly clarifies. “About… our flaws.” 

 

“What do you mean?” Shiro asks. 

 

“Well, I mean. We kind of rushed into things, like really rushed in. We were dating maybe three or four months before we moved in together.” 

 

Shiro clears his throats. “I - I just thought-” 

 

“It’s okay,” Matt says. “I know there's probably tons of things you don't like about me. How I hog the blankets. I never take the garbage out. I always leave the shower curtain on the outside. I must drive you insane with letting the kids run wild.” 

 

Shiro doesn't reply, so Matt continues. 

 

“And I think that's okay. You can dislike those things, it's part of our relationship. You'll keep chopping onions wrong and I'll keep flooding the bathroom everytime I shower. But there's some things I think we need to work on to be stronger  _ together _ , like parenting the kids. Keith and Katie look at us like parents. We're not their school teacher.” 

 

“I know that,” Shiro says. “It’s just, I don't want them to like you more.” 

 

“They both love you,” Matt promises. “Look, we can work on this some more tomorrow, I just wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier. This is your house after all.” 

 

“ _ Our _ house,” Shiro corrects, and he takes Matt’s hand and kisses it. “Let me pack these up and we can go watch a movie.” 

 

“A man after my own heart.”

 

Shiro quickly packs up the school work, and then picks Matt up into his arms and holds him tightly. “I love you, and this was a stupid fight.” 

  
“One of many, I'm sure,” Matt promises. He leans in and gives him a kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end of this story!!! I will be adding probably 2/3 more "extra" chapters to this, but they'll be years later or not even particularly important to the story

**Author's Note:**

> please kudos/comment/bookmark! Thank you <3


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